The Mark Jack Left Behind
by summergirl92
Summary: "What mark did he leave on you?" Will asked.  We all know Beckett was the one who branded Jack a pirate, but what mark did Jack leave on him?  R&R please and thank you!
1. What Mark did Jack Leave?

Disclaimer: I do not own POTC, just the characters I made up that were not in the original movies. Any quotes taken directly from the movie are not mine. I do not own the plotlines that follow any of the movies.

**The Mark He Left**

"What mark did he leave on you?" Will asked.

Beckett tightened the grip on the brand shaped into a P, and set it back on the fireplace.

Behind a closed door, she heard everything, but kept silent. Never be seen or heard until the opportune moment, which was the motto she lived by. With her jet black hair in a tight bun, her stern sapphire blue eyes, her flawless complexion, and her attire kept in perfect condition, Sarah Beckett looked like the epitome of a young English lady. However, the high society of London never looked past her "Oriental" appearance at first glance. The color of her eyes never concealed her Asian heritage, but she was never ashamed of it. Her father invoked power and respect, and she took advantage of that. The parents and governesses of the heiresses of England were always impressed with her respectful manners, intelligence, and above all docility.

But they never knew what she was truly born and raised to do… that secret remained between her, her father, and begrudgingly, Mercer. Her facade aided by upper-class breeding hid her more deadly nature. She was a rival to Mercer, her father's right-hand man and deadliest assassin, despite the difference in their lines of work. She was the bait, with her beauty and mask of innocence; she would lure targets into going after this seemingly defenseless girl. They would never have guessed her talent with a sword and a pistol, enhanced with training that began the moment she could walk. After the mark was subdued, she would interrogate either with charm or brute force. Pirates, she believed, were nothing more than the scum of the earth easily out-smarted…and _murderers_, but she quickly pushed that thought out of her head. She would always get the information her father needed, and once she was done…. Well that was up to her father and Mercer to decide. He despised her for as long as she remembered, she believed he saw her as competition for her father's attentions. _Nothing more than a spine-less commoner who worships father_ she thought.

She closed the book that she was studying, and placed it back on the shelf. A library filled with books and maps, written in Latin, French, English, Chinese, Spanish, Hindu, and Italian and she read them all. Sarah silently got back into her chair and waited in boredom. Sometimes it felt that she seen it all and heard it all. Despite her hatred of pirates, she had to admit they had tales to be told. Every story she squeezed out of those bandits piqued her interest. Especially this particular one she heard only a couple of years before, the one that finally gave father a chance to rid the world of pirates and rule the seas themselves.

**Sorry, I will return to this part of the story, but I wanted to give an idea of who Sarah is first. From this point on, I'm going in the chronological order of the movies, so bear with me. So now here is the Curse of the Black Pearl, and I won't be going through the entire movie, same thing with Dead Man's Chest. Hopefully you've watched those by now and are able to fill the plot holes I left. It's at World's End that's going to get revamped the most.**


	2. Curse of the Black Pearl

_Elizabeth's POV_

"He fancies you, you know?" Governor Swann hinted.

_Of course he does_… Elizabeth thought. Even since she grew from a child fascinated by pirates to a young lady fascinated by pirates, James Norrington only had eyes for her. It wasn't just their age difference she had reservations about, but his by the book nature. _All duty and no sense of adventure, what a boring life being married to that man would be. No, he was nothing like… like…like… WILL_, her thoughts were interrupted as she suddenly gasped. As much as she liked her dresses, she despised the corsets they came with even more. Elizabeth worried that her maids would see the pirate medallion hidden in her negligee.

Their butler announced the arrival of a guest, and her father excused himself out of her room.

_Will's POV _

"A craftsman is always pleased to hear his work appreciated," Will said. _Or rather the apprentice who's the only one that remains sober_, he finished inside his head.

Suddenly, the bell rang to announce the arrival of yet another visitor. Will prayed it was not Norrington, the man who seemed most likely to take away his beloved Elizabeth from him. _No, she's not mine nor will she ever be. _The thought of the governor ever allowing his only daughter to marry a lowly blacksmith like him would have brought laughter to anyone else. But as the door was opened, it was not Norrington, but a rather young girl, perhaps no older than 15, dressed in fine clothing and with deep blue eyes. Beside her was a young man about her age with blond hair and warm hazel eyes, while his clothing looked less expensive than his female companion's, he still looked respectable yet friendly with his welcoming smile.

"Governor Swann, I presume?" she asked in a light airy tone.

"Yes…. And who might you be?" Governor Swann asked shakily.

"I am Lady Sarah, and this is my acquaintance, Mr. Edward Hollings", she replied as she curtsied and Edward bowed.

"You… you… you… are Lady Sarah? You are not what I expected…Pardon me, I offer you my most sincere apologies, I was not expecting you so soon…" the governor spluttered.

Will was just as surprised as the governor, even though he didn't make a complete fool of himself. Despite the girl's clothing and manners, she didn't look like a young English lady. _Like she came from the East instead…_ , but he heard footsteps down the stairs and turned his head. There she was… Elizabeth, beautiful and unobtainable to him as always…

_Sarah's POV_

"You've surprised yet another governor, Sarah," Edward muttered under his breath.

Despite herself, she smiled at her old friend's joke. As she turned her attentions to the entrance of the woman she presumed to be Elizabeth Swann, she noticed the look of awe of the young man next to the governor. _Like puppy love, _she thought. But now she had a task at hand, her father had arranged everything. Governor Swann still had influence over in London, influence her father and the East India Trading Co. could certainly use. She was aware of her father's and Swann's past acquaintanceship, but she kept that knowledge to herself. Cutler Beckett instructed his daughter to charm the governor to offer his allegiance to the East India Trading Co. "He likes things prim and proper, and he's rather simple-minded, so you should have no problem with him," Beckett had said. Surprise was on her side, Swann was notified by letter that only mentioned the arrival of a very important person in the form of one Lady Sarah and her companion. Governor Swann was to receive her as a guest in his home for the purpose of business concerning Port Royal.

Sarah stood there in silence as the young man now known to her as Will and Elizabeth Swann talked about the dream she had of the day they met. She noticed the impropriety Elizabeth had by calling him by his first name rather his surname. _Seems like more to these two than what meets the eye_.

"We really must be going. Will you join us for the ceremony, Lady Sarah?" Governor Swann inquired.

"Captain, well soon to be Commodore Norrington's is it? Very well, let us be on our way then," Sarah replied.


	3. The Arrival of the Pirates

**The Arrival of Jack Sparrow (Yes, we all love Jack Sparrow, don't hate on me yet, but this is still continued in Sarah's POV, so the contact between the characters will be limited since I want to stick close to the movie's plotline for now.)**

"I can't breathe…" Elizabeth gasped.

Sarah heard her words right before she fell into the water. She noticed the heat and the rather tight corset on Elizabeth had begun to affect her, but she disregarded that. After all it was the governor, not his daughter she was supposed to pay attention to.

As the rather incompetent military men around her sought a way to rescue the young Ms. Swann, Sarah heard someone dive into the water. She saw a splash nearby the docked Interceptor. _Finally there is someone who is a man of action._ But her train of thought was interrupted as she saw a huge pulse rise from the water.

"No, it can't be…." Sarah whispered, and as if to confirm her suspicions, a sudden gust of wind blew upon Port Royal. Edward knew the look in her eyes, that look of interest and fear combined together. Sarah was rarely caught off guard, but when she was, that's where he stepped in for her.

"Edward…" she began.

"I know, I'll take a closer look," he replied, just as Elizabeth's rescuer brought her on the dock, "Remember you shouldn't be…"

"Seen or heard," she finished, "Get onto the dock and see if she has the medallion."

As Edward blended into the crowd of soldiers headed towards Elizabeth, Sarah watched the action from the fort. She gasped as she realized the identity of Elizabeth's savior, "Jack Sparrow! My, my, my, luck is our side for now…" She lifted up the telescope that Edward left with her before his departure. From her viewpoint, she saw Sparrow cutting off her corset and clutching some sort of necklace around Elizabeth. Norrington arrived on scene, and the action quickly escalated. Elizabeth Swann was held hostage by Sparrow, and then he made his grand escape amid gunshots as only Jack Sparrow could achieve.

_It doesn't matter if they even manage to catch him or not, Barbossa will come soon enough for that cursed piece of Aztec gold if she does have it, _she concluded. She and Edward would have to leave Port Royal and follow Jack Sparrow's trail, there would be no need for anything of Governor Swann's once she delivered the compass to her father.

**The **_**Black Pearl**_** Arrives**

**(Note: Slightly tweaked the order of the movie in this story, basically the two pirates find Jack Sparrow in his cell before Elizabeth is captured by Ragetti and Pintel)**

"Well, that Will Turner, he's a fine man, too," said Estrella, Elizabeth's close servant.

"That is too bold", said a surprised Elizabeth.

"Well, begging your pardon, miss. It was not my place," her maid apologized.

"May it be mine?" inquired Sarah as she stepped into Elizabeth's room.

"Lady Sarah…Estrella, you can take your leave," said Elizabeth as she patted a side of her bed for Sarah to take a seat.

"I hope you do not mind me asking about your personal life, Ms. Swann."

"Please call me Elizabeth, and no, I do not mind at all."

"Very well, I suppose Will Turner was that dashing young man I saw this morning by your door?" asked Sarah, teasingly.

Elizabeth blushed at the mention of Will's good looks. "Yes, we've been childhood friends ever since I discovered him amidst the wreckage of a ship during my crossing from England when I was much younger."

_A boy discovered in the middle of the sea? _Sarah just had to press for more information, particularly concerning the medallion Elizabeth was now carelessly fiddling with as she was lost in thoughts probably about Will.

"And wherever did you get that golden medallion, Elizabeth?"

Sarah's question sent a jolt down Elizabeth as she realized she had let her guard down.

"Well, um…. you see, what happened was…", but Elizabeth was cut off as cannon blasts were soon heard near the dock.

Sarah hurried to the window and saw the living legend itself… the _Black Pearl_, the most feared and fastest in the Caribbean.

"Elizabeth, stay out of sight, and head to the fort as quickly as you can. LEAVE the medallion behind though," commanded Sarah.

"Why? Sarah…" Elizabeth began, but the girl already ran out of the room, and moments later she heard the slam of the front door.

**A Meeting with Barbossa**

"EDWARD!" shouted Sarah as she searched for him amidst the rubble and cannon fire on the fort.

A section of the fort's wall was blasted through, but someone quickly pushed Sarah out of the way.

"How in the bloody hell did you end up here so quickly?" asked Edward as he pulled Sarah up.

"Stole a horse from the governor's stables," Sarah said matter-of-factly.

"Typical you, but we better get out of this warzone now," declared Edward, but Sarah was headed towards the jail.

"First, we need to pay Mr. Sparrow a little visit…"

When they reached the entrance to the jail, however, two pirates were coming out.

"Well, look what we have here, Mr. Twigg, a fine-looking couple out for a midnight stroll," mused Koehler.

"I'm more interested in that expensive-looking jewelry the girl's wearing," said Twigg as he reached out to grab Sarah.

Edward was about to pull out his sword, but Sarah grabbed his hand before he had a chance to stab the pirate. "Remember, **undead**," she whispered.

"We invoke the right of parlay," stated Sarah.

"Parlay? Since when did fancy rich girls know about the Code," growled Twigg.

"Never mind about your knowledge of fancy rich girls, just take us to Captain Barbossa," remarked Sarah.

The pirates were surprised that she also knew their captain, but they kept it under wraps as they begrudgingly took Sarah and Edward to the _Black Pearl_.

There were hoots and catcalls among the pirates as Sarah approached Barbossa face to face.

"Now then, what's a fine young missy like yourself asking to meet with the likes of me?" as Barbossa gave an all too friendly smile.

"Captain Barbossa, may I say what a pleasure it is to meet a man of your…. Um…. reputation," as Sarah struggled to find some compliment about the decaying undead pirate before her.

"My friend, Mr. Hollings, and I have no wish to interfere with your invasion, but we only ask for our freedom and safety away from the _Black Pearl_ and its crew as a small token of your generosity."

"HA, HA, HA," roared Barbossa as his crew joined in on his laughter. "Just who do you think you are, trying to negotiate with a pirate like me especially one with my… reputation?" Barbossa winked at his last word while Sarah stood there like an ice princess with her piercing blue eyes.

"My full name is Sarah Mei Beckett, as in **Lord Beckett** of the East India Trading Company," prompted Sarah. Barbossa's good humor quickly faltered at the mention of that particular name.

He brought out his cutlass and placed it at the throat of the young Ms. Beckett, "And now, you'd better explain why I shouldn't cut you into little pieces right at this moment, considering everything your dear father has done to my pirate brethren." Edward did not like where the confrontation was headed, but he trusted that Sarah knew what she was doing because in the end, they always made it through.

"Because you and I both know the consequences you and your crew would face if anything were to happen to me. I trust you're aware we have explicit knowledge of your activities, Captain Barbossa." Barbossa's grip loosened as he thought about just how much this seemingly harmless girl knew.

"The Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea: wanted for acts of piracy, including pilfering a bushel of apples, for a bounty of 10,000 guineas. You've committed mutiny against Jack Sparrow considering you are now the captain of the Pearl, **AND **you're currently invading this island because of a rather unusual predicament," summarized Sarah.

"And just what do you know of my predicament, Ms. Beckett?" questioned Barbossa.

"You're looking for one of those 882 cursed Aztec gold coins you've got hidden at the Isla de Muerta, aren't you?" as Sarah smiled at him.

Barbossa was in shock and stared at her. How? Just how much did she know, and was she a threat to him? "So since you know so much about me, what did you expect to bargain for you and your little friend's freedom?"

"The location of the golden medallion you're looking for," Sarah answered.

Barbossa took a breath and let her go. "**Where **is it?"

"I will tell you on three conditions, first your confirmation of mines and Mr. Hollings' safety, secondly a boat right this minute," asserted Sarah.

"That's only two, what's your final condition?" as Barbossa summoned his patience with this rather demanding girl.

"That this conversation remains between the two of us only, the East India Trading Company has no wish to meddle with your affairs as long as you do not meddle with ours," declared Sarah.

"Fine then, where is the medallion?" snapped Barbossa. This particular girl managed to push every single one of his buttons.

"You will find it in the governor's mansion; I suspect it is in the upper rooms of the house."

And with that Sarah and Edward rowed away from the ship towards the chaos taking place in Port Royal.

"Just what happened there between you and Barbossa?" inquired Edward.

"Nothing at all, it was just business." Sarah had left it at that. _Elizabeth, you better have listened to me…_

They waited in the fort till the pirates would leave after they got what they were searching for.


	4. Why did she hate pirates?

**The Morning after the Attack**

"We will establish their most likely course," said Norrington.

Will slammed his axe through Norrington's charts. "That's not good enough!"

"Mr. Turner, you are not a military man. You are not a sailor. You are not a blacksmith. And this is not the moment for rash actions," replied the pompous Norrington.

_And yet he figured out more about the Pearl in a few minutes than you did in your wasted hours of planning_ thought Sarah.

"Well then, a young lady like myself is of not much use to the pride and joy of his Majesty's Navy, so I will be taking my leave. Good day, gentlemen," and Sarah ended with a curtsey as she prepared to slip away towards the giant hole in the jail the _Black Pearl_ kindly left behind with a cannonball.

Edward also excused himself and went to follow Sarah. "Sari," he warned, "Shouldn't you think this through some more before you decide to _kill _someone."

"Mr. Sparrow is of no use to my father, only the compass, ergo, his state of being alive is also of no use. Besides, I'm only speeding up the inevitable, the man will be hanged soon enough anyway," argued Sarah.

"I still don't like this one bit, you're starting to think like your father and Mercer," but Edward was too late to retract his last words.

"Go and pack our belongings **now**, Mr. Hollings," said Sarah coldly.

"As you wish, I assume you will need me to pick the lock after the deed is done?" asked Edward in a despondent voice.

Sarah merely nodded and the two parted ways.

"I've always loved you, even though you are Cutler Beckett's daughter, I just wish you didn't act like him instead of being yourself," whispered Edward.

**Sarah's Past**

When she got to the gap in the wall, it was the opportune moment. Sparrow was hopelessly trying to unpick the lock with a bone, of all things. She had the pistol ready at hand to shoot at a moment's notice. As she prepared to aim at Jack, she couldn't help but hesitate.

Something about him seemed so utterly familiar, but she was sure they had never met before. Sarah only heard about Jack through tales of his escapades. It was probably the fact that he was a well known pirate that triggered her thoughts.

Suddenly she had a flashback: she was a little girl again, barely a toddler, and she was swimming in the ocean. "Papa, I'm swimming, I'm swimming!" she giggled. Her father was holding onto her carefully, but Sarah could only make out his outline. Her mother was on the beach, her face brimming with pride. Mei Ling Beckett was beautiful, petite, and had the exact same eyes that her daughter inherited.

Sarah shook the memory out of her head. _Damn it, I am too old for this, I am not that defenseless child anymore. _Sarah couldn't help but think about it though. It was back in the long gone days when her family was happy and together. From what she pieced together, her mother sacrificed her life to save her from a pirate attack during a holiday when she was nearly three. The only thing she remembered was hearing her mother's screams from behind the closet she was hidden in. The next thing she knew, she was dragged out and her memories were nothing but darkness after that. Her father told her she was ransomed and later returned to him. She was six, and from her father's grimace, she knew better than to push the subject. They never spoke about that incident or her mother ever since.

Her father did train his daughter extensively mentally and physically from then on. Her tutors were professors from England's best universities and she had one for every subject. She practiced her swordplay and marksmanship with her father's own men, and he made a point to discipline them by having his daughter pummel them. In her free time she practiced with Edward, a skilled swordsman himself, though she beat him every duel.

"At least I'm a better swimmer than you," remarked Edward. And it would end with a swimming match and a breathing contest. This time, he always bested her.

"I swear, Hollings, you are part merman or something," gasped Sarah as she took short breaths.

"Nonsense, you know my father was a doctor," as Edward gave the smile that he only reserved for her. Indeed, Edward's father was a surgeon under Beckett's employ, but he died in action during a battle according to the Company's reports. According to the late Mr. Hollings' will, his wife died from childbirth, and Edward would inherit a small fortune from his father when he turned eighteen. His paternal grandparents took care of him after his father's death for four years before they passed away.

Mr. Beckett was apparently kind enough to take the orphaned Edward into his care as a companion for his daughter. Their first meeting however, didn't go quite smoothly as Sarah recalled. When Edward arrived at the Beckett residence, he was in awe of the expensive furnishings they had and the stoic young girl before him. Sarah first saw him as more of an intruder in her home than friend. She rarely acknowledged his presence for the first year and when she did it was because they had the same tutors at the time and she called him, "Boy." Even though Edward's class standing was significantly lower, being part of Beckett's household allowed him to start his studies as a surgeon like his father at an early age and maintain close contact with Sarah.

Eventually Sarah came to respect and even care for Edward later through the years. Edward never flung her mistreatment back at her, and the ice princess' heart thawed slightly at the boy's kindness towards her. Sarah and Edward had lost their respective parents around the same time, and they took a small comfort that they understood the other's grief perfectly.

**Return to England**

As Sarah was lost in her thoughts, she heard a door open and immediately put her back to the wall. She turned her head slightly, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Will Turner approach Jack.

"You. Sparrow."

"Ey?" as Jack pretended to play dumb and lay out on the ground.

Sarah heard their entire exchange and heard the clanging of the cell doors as Will set Jack Sparrow free.

"Hurry. Someone will have heard that," said Will.

"Not without my effects," replied Jack.

_Drat, they're getting away, along with that compass. _As soon as the coast was clear, Sarah immediately headed to the Governor's mansion to fetch Edward.

"Sir, they've taken the _Dauntless_!" shouted Lt. Gillette. "Sparrow and Turner have taken the Dauntless!"

"Damn, we're too late," panted Edward as he tried to catch his breath.

Sarah saw Jack and Will attempting to prepare the ship for sailing as did Commodore Norrington.

"That is without doubt the worst pirate I have ever seen," commented Norrington.

_If I know anything about Sparrow, you're in for a surprise, Commodore. _ And she was proven right when she saw Will and Jack swing aboard the _Interceptor _after Norrington boarded on the _Dauntless_.

They sailed away, and one sailor swung and failed to get back on board the runaway ship.

"Thank you, Commodore, for getting us ready to make way. We'd had a hard time of it by ourselves," shouted Jack Sparrow.

"I bet anything he disabled the rudder chain so they couldn't be in range of the cannons," guessed Edward. Commodore Norrington and his men were floundering about the _Dauntless_, but Sparrow already got away.

The _Interceptor_ crashed into Lt. Gillette's boat before the men jumped overboard. Sarah couldn't help giggle slightly at the spectacle these so-called sailors created.

When their ship arrived to take them back to England, the Commodore and Governor looked increasingly nervous.

"I hope you have a pleasant trip, Lady Sarah, I am terribly sorry for everything that happened," babbled Governor Swann.

"Perhaps next time you will see my men at their prime, we were just caught off guard these past couple of days…" faltered Commodore Norrington.

"Do not worry, gentlemen, I have business that requires my utmost attention back in England, and I have no time to socialize with others and talk about my experiences. What happened in Port Royal will stay in Port Royal, with the exception of my father of course."

"Of course," the men said simultaneously.

She and Edward said their farewells and went aboard. On the halfway point of their trip, Sarah was in her cabin scanning some old maps. She heard a knock at her door, "Come in," she said.

"Do you have time for an old friend?" asked Edward as he walked in.

"Always." she smiled.

"I've been avoiding this subject so far, but I have to ask now… why didn't you kill Jack Sparrow?" said Edward.

"Will Turner came, and there was no way for me to have done the deed without revealing myself," answered Sarah.

"I know you, therefore I know just how deadly and efficient you are when you have any weapon in your hands," countered Edward.

He had her stuck at a corner with that argument, but Sarah just couldn't mention her moment of weakness, even with her most beloved friend.

Edward took her moment of silence to hold her hands, and couldn't help but notice how cold they felt. "Sarah, it's me, you can tell me anything," pleaded Edward.

Sarah hesitated, but she felt that comforting gaze in Edward's hazel eyes, "I… I…I… was frozen, I had a moment of weakness, because I thought about my mother…"

"Your mother? Sarah, what did Sparrow have to do with her? You've never mentioned your mother before ever," questioned Edward.

"I DON'T KNOW ALL RIGHT, I DON'T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS! DAMN IT, MY FATHER AND I PUT THIS ALL BEHIND LONG AGO ALREADY!" shouted Sarah. Her nerves failed her that moment; she never had to face those particular memories before. Edward's interrogation pushed her over the edge, and now she wanted to escape.

"I'm… I'm going to the deck to compose myself and get some fresh air," said Sarah in a hollow voice after her previous outburst.

"Sari…" but Edward was interrupted as she sprinted out of the room. "If she won't tell me, I'm asking Beckett himself, I have to figure this out for her sake," declared Edward. He never liked her father, and the feeling was mutual. Beckett treated him more like a servant than a friend of his daughter so speaking with the Devil himself wasn't going to be easy. However, Edward would've been willing to sail to the ends of the world if it would keep the girl he loved safe and happy.


	5. Dead Man's Chest

**Dead Man's Chest **

**Author's note: I've been playing with the ideas for this story for a long time so it's nice to hear your critiques on it. Oh, by the way, I only picked Edward as his name since it seemed like an old fashioned English name. I apologize if it mentions "Twilight" to you in any way, but I was thinking about this story way before it was ever published (yeah, it's been that long and I was that lazy). Not that I have anything against Twilight, I've read all four books, and I suppose they're entertaining to some people, but I probably won't reread them ever since I borrowed them from the library. Well then, enough of my ranting, onwards to the second movie!**

**Cutler Beckett Arrives (I welcome your boos, even if Sarah is his daughter)**

"Will, why is this happening?" pleaded Elizabeth.

"I don't know. You look beautiful." said Will as he tried to offer some comfort to his fiancé.

"It's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding." replied Elizabeth.

"Make way! Let me through! How dare you!" shouted Governor Swann as he made his way through the crowd. "Stand down your men at once. Do you hear me?"

He smiled before he turned around to face his old acquaintance. It was quite humorous how Swann believed he still retained control. "Governor Weatherby Swann, it's been too long."

"Cutler Beckett?" Governor Swann couldn't believe his eyes.

"It's Lord now, actually." he answered haughtily.

"Lord or not, you have no reason or no authority to arrest this man." argued Swann.

"Actually, I'm afraid he does, Governor." Sarah walked briskly as her traveling cloak trailed behind her.

"Lady Sarah, you've returned…" but the Governor realized she did not return as a friend. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm accompanying my father on this very important business of course," stated Sarah.

"FATHER?" said Governor Swann, Will, and Elizabeth simultaneously.

"Mr. Mercer?" A solemn, grim man with a wrinkled face appeared with the warrants beside Beckett. Sarah couldn't help but roll her eyes as Mercer pushed her out of the way to stand next to her father.

"The warrant for the arrest of one William Turner." Beckett handed it to Governor Swann, who noticed something was amiss.

"This warrant is for Elizabeth Swann." Weatherby Swann said in shock.

"Oh is it? That's annoying. My mistake." replied Beckett in a casual voice. "Arrest her."

"On what charges?" Elizabeth was immediately placed into handcuffs of her own.

"Aha. Here's the one for William Turner. And I have another one for a Mr. James Norrington. Is he present?" asked Beckett.

"What are the charges?" demanded Elizabeth.

"Commodore Norrington resigned his commission some months ago." said Governor Swann.

"I don't believe that was the answer to the question I asked." spoke Beckett.

"Lord Beckett. In the category of questions not answered…" began Will.

"We are under the jurisdiction of the king's governor of Port Royal and you will tell us what we are being charged with." finished Elizabeth.

"Read the warrant." retorted Sarah.

"The charge is conspiring to set free a man convicted of crimes against the Crown and the Empire and condemned to death, for which the…" read Governor Swann, but he could not acknowledge the final print of the warrant.

"For which the punishment, regrettably is also death." affirmed Beckett. He took a step to face his prisoners. "Perhaps you remember a certain pirate named Jack Sparrow."

"Captain." stated Will and Elizabeth.

"Captain Jack Sparrow." reinstated Elizabeth.

"Captain Jack Sparrow. Yes, I thought you might." And that was all the confirmation Beckett. "Take them to the jail. And in separate cells." ordered Beckett.

The soldiers dragged Will and Elizabeth, and with a wave of his hand, Beckett sent away the rest of his men, including Mercer to prepare the arrangements for himself and Sarah. Soon only Beckett, Sarah, and Governor Swann were the only ones remaining.

"I cannot believe it, after all these years, you come here, and arrest my daughter and her fiancé. Especially after you bring your own daughter to spy in Port Royal in disguise!" yelled Governor Swann.

"Sarah has nothing to do with this, and at least my daughter is not a criminal who helped a pirate escape justice." countered Beckett.

"And you think this is justice then? When the man responsible for all those crimes is out there, free on the high seas, while Elizabeth is dragged away in chains?" debated Swann.

"Trust me when I say Jack Sparrow will not be free for long." He then turned towards his daughter. "Sarah, we have business to attend to now."

She nodded and followed her father like an obedient child. Sarah turned to look back at Governor Swann for just one moment, and Weatherby could've sworn he saw a look of sympathy in those deep blue eyes.

**Fear (Ok, so basically this is the part where I left off in the very beginning. Feel free to head back to that chapter for a refresher, but otherwise I'm going to continue right where I left off at that part. Happy reading!)**

"Bring back that compass or there is no deal." stated Beckett. "Sarah!" he called.

She came out of the room, and curtsied to her father. "Yes?"

"Prepare Mr. Turner for his trip. He has a certain pirate to track down."

She nodded and walked out the room with Will in tow. She asked one of the maids to prepare a change of clothes for Will and the butler to call upon Governor Swann since Will was just given an opportunity to save Elizabeth and himself.

"I'm surprised you've actually shown some courtesy towards us right now. Even though we did treat you with respect on your first visit." said Will disdainly.

Sarah ignored the hateful glare he was giving her and looked him straight in the eye. "It's not you… or Elizabeth or even Norrington we're after."

"The compass? Jack? Then who?" asked Will after she shook her head at all of his answers.

"Someone I hope you will never meet." and she left it at that. The maid came back with the clothing and led Will to another room to change.

Far away, the man who caused all this trouble for Will and Elizabeth, Jack Sparrow, was busy trying to set a course for the _Pearl _, but his compass was not cooperating. He stared at it for a moment when the needle turned east and then started spinning before finally deciding he needed a pick me up. Unfortunately, he soon realized he was out of his beloved rum.

"Why is the rum always gone?" He answered his own question though when he stood up and swayed with the ship. "Oh. That's why." and he staggered towards the cellar.

He had an eerie feeling when he unlocked the door, but nothing was going to come between him and his rum. He found a bottle, but then a voice came out of nowhere.

"Time's run out, Jack."

Jack dropped the bottle and made his way towards the source of the voice. The light from his lantern revealed a pale man covered with marine life.

"Bootstrap. Bill Turner…"

"Your time is up. It comes now, drawn with ravenous hunger to the man what bears the black spot." And those were the final words Bill Turner before he disappeared.

Jack stared at his hand as the black spot grew on it. Now was the opportune time to panic. He roused his crew and told them to make land immediately. He didn't even care when Jack the monkey threw his hat overboard which left his crew stunned for a moment.

"For the love of mother and child, Jack, what's coming after us?" implored Gibbs.

"Nothing." said Jack.

Gibbs decided it was best to leave his captain alone, only Jack knew what he was doing.

As he stood there, Jack wondered what would happen if Jones caught up with him. He would lose everything: his ship, his life and his freedom all in one fell swoop. When he made that deal with Jones thirteen years ago, it was in a time of hope for his future, and now he only had fear remaining.

**Faith **

"I have faith in you. Both of you." said Elizabeth. Her hands reached through the bars to stroke Will's face. "Where will you find him?"

"Tortuga. I'll start there and I won't stop searching till I find him. And then I intend to return here to marry you." Will smiled.

"Properly?"

"Eagerly, if you will still have me."

"If it weren't for those bars, I'd have you already." replied Elizabeth.

The governor broke off a candlestick on the wall at the shock of his daughter's bluntness, but the couple ignored him.

"I'll wait for you."

"Keep a weather eye on the horizon." whispered Will and as it much as it pained him, he left her. As he walked away, he met face to face with Sarah. "You! You have have no business here," he snapped.

"Don't you have a ship to Tortuga to catch, Mr. Turner? Time's ticking for you and Elizabeth." she retorted.

"Will, go, she's not worth it," pleaded Elizabeth.

Will swallowed his pride and headed towards the harbor.

"What are you doing here?" demanded Elizabeth.

"To warn you and your father," Sarah replied. "Try not to go against my father; we have spies placed all around, all watching you alone."

"What? This is outrageous, I am the Governor of Port Royal…" responded Weatherby Swann.

"Consider ourselves warned, then." interrupted Elizabeth.

"Well then, my duty here is done, good day," as Sarah turned to leave.

"By the way, where is Mr. Hollings?" asked Elizabeth.

Sarah paused before answering, "He's… at sea, following in his father's footsteps actually, and he is the youngest member to be accepted into the Royal College of Surgeons of England ever. We are quite proud of him, you know, he's serving his country…"

"You mean he's serving your father," interjected Elizabeth.

"YOU KNOW NOTHING!" Sarah's voice echoed in the jail, and she struggled to maintain her composure. "You should've learned to control your daughter when she was my age, governor." She then immediately left the Swanns before she had another outburst.

When she returned to her father's new headquarters, Beckett was busy discussing his plans with Mercer to notice his daughter's distress. She sought her room at once and told her maid that she wished to be left alone for the next hour. Her maid complied, shut the door, and Sarah was alone with her thoughts.

The nerve of her! How dare Elizabeth Swann intrude upon her personal life, but then she remembered what her father done, what she was a part of. They were using Elizabeth and Will as bait, in hopes that Jack Sparrow would repay his debt to them by giving Will the compass. As much as she hated it, Sarah begrudgingly forgave Elizabeth in private.

She stared outside at the ocean through her window, wondering what he was doing right now. She had faith that he would return to her soon enough.

_**Flashback**_(yeah as cliché as it is, there will be occasional flashbacks in this story, but I will try to cut down on them so bear with me)

When they arrived at the manor, Edward left the staff to deal with their luggage and headed for Beckett's office at once.

"Come in." said Beckett. He was surprised to see that it was Edward and not Sarah that appeared before him. "What do you want?"

"What did Sarah's mission have to do with Jack Sparrow?" demanded Edward.

The room immediately turned cold, and Beckett only gave him one answer: "Get out." When Edward slammed the door, Beckett knew he had to separate him from Sarah at once. The boy was a danger from the very beginning, he only took him in because his grandparents questioned about their son's death before they passed away. He didn't want the younger Mr. Hollings doing the same when he grew up so he kept a careful eye on Edward. _Not careful enough though, _he thought, though the boy proved somewhat useful in the beginning. He was a training dummy for Sarah in her swordplay and a competitor during her early years of schooling. When her skills surpassed his, Beckett assumed she would use him as merely an errand boy. He was surprised when Sarah stopped looking at Edward with disdain, and instead with fondness, but Beckett assumed she would outgrow it. Sarah didn't and over the years, their friendship grew stronger, and Beckett worried the boy was turning his daughter soft-hearted. It was time to undo the damage he did to his daughter.

He sent the boy away to Oxford with the excuse that in order to earn his doctorate and become a surgeon, it was best he did it in a school environment. Sarah voiced no complaint before and after he left, and she poured herself into her work. Beckett was pleased, his daughter was returned to him, but his tranquility was shattered when Edward returned six months later. He didn't expect him to return for at least two years, and even then he had a plan to ship Edward to the Americas, but he was caught off guard. Sarah welcomed Edward with open arms, and things returned to the way they were. It was time for drastic measures.

"You want me to enlist in the Navy? My eighteenth birthday has not even arrived yet!" argued Edward.

"Well as your guardian and a lord, I can easily grant permission for you to join early," replied Beckett.

"You and I both know this has to do with Sarah and there's no way in hell I'm leaving her alone with you," declared Edward.

"Mr. Hollings, I am her father and I know what's best for my daughter, and that is most definitely not you. She is an heiress, part of the highest society of London; you are a commoner whose greatest expectation should be that you don't die in an epidemic in the future." said Beckett

"I don't give a damn about how much you hate me because I love her and I will never leave her side." stated Edward.

"Love…" he chuckled. "You remind of someone I knew long ago, Mr. Hollings. Let's make a deal then, Sarah will not have to live with me anymore."

"What?" Edward thought he was losing his hearing.

"You heard me correctly. Sarah is a healthy, charming, and beautiful young lady. It would be shameful of me to keep her as my little girl. I should allow her to marry one of the many wealthy young men that have made offers to me."

Edward froze in shock, he knew Beckett wasn't bluffing. He stood there in jealously at those upper-class parties watching other men admire Sarah. If he didn't back down now, he would lose her forever. "Fine then, you win, I'll go away, but the moment I hear word of anything happening to Sarah, I'll be back."

"You're leaving in a week? But you just got back, and now you're off joining the Royal Navy," said Sarah.

"They need surgeons, I'm just serving my country," asserted Edward.

"What's going on? You haven't been acting like yourself at all lately."

"Nothing, why are we even fighting about this, what's done is done." Edward proclaimed.

"Fine, then I have nothing more to say to you, ."

"Very well, Ms. Beckett." and he turned to walk away from her.

They did not say a single word to each other for the rest of that week, and when it was the day of Edward's departure, Sarah was nowhere to be found.

"Search every room, the gardens, everywhere," ordered Beckett, he needed his daughter to continue her research before they headed for Port Royal.

**(Just a heads up there's a little um… racy? action in next chapter, but hey POTC was rated PG-13 five years ago so it shouldn't much of a problem, and I don't think little kids are reading this anyways. Sorry for interrupting and you could skip the lemon part if you want to, I won't be insulted lol, plus I'll make another note after the romance is over. Anyways, you can continue reading or skip ahead, your choice, there's not really any plot development in the fluff. )**


	6. The part you can skip: Warning lemon

**Warning: Lemon**

**Edward and Sarah**

Edward knew where she was so he quietly slipped away on horseback while the rest of the household searched in all the wrong places. She was sitting down, staring at the lake when he saw her. It was the lake where they practiced their swimming when they were younger, and it was their own secret place, tucked away in the woods.

He tied his horse besides hers and walked towards her. "Sarah…" but then he saw tears streaming down her face, and he broke into a run. He stooped down to comfort her, but she pushed him away.

"Leave me alone." she stated.

"Sari…"

"Don't call me that! We're not children anymore," and she started brushing her tears.

Despite her apparent anger, Edward felt the pain and sadness he was causing her. It broke his heart to see her like this, even when he was doing it to protect her.

"Maybe it would've been better if I still hated you like I did in the beginning, maybe it's better this way since you hate me now…" she began.

"Don't say that, I never want to hear you that ever again," Edward responded.

"Well, WHAT do you want from me?" she shouted, and stood up to walk away.

"Sarah," he reached for her hand, but Sarah pulled it away from him.

"Get away from me," she snapped.

"Don't do this," he pleaded and followed her.

"Stop following me."

"You're being unreasonable."

"Yes, you're the one leaving for war, and I'm being unreasonable."

"You don't understand, I'm doing this because…"

"Because what? Apparently, I don't understand anything that's going on anymore. I don't even know why you even came after me."

His patience snapped at that moment, yes, she was upset, but he didn't care anymore. He grabbed her arm and pushed her so that her back was to a tree.

Sarah had been in tight situations before, but it was nothing like this. Edward had always remained calm and collected, but now his anger and frustration was clearly shown in his face. It didn't help that he had her pinned, and there was nothing she could do because she didn't want to hurt him.

Edward felt her pulse go faster and the blood was rushing to her face, giving her pale skin a slight blush. She looked so enticing, and his brain was now running on hormones instead of reason. "Damn it", and that was his last coherent thought.

He pushed his lips against hers, and felt their warmth and softness. After so many years of longing, he finally reached this point. It didn't matter that he had to leave her soon, he would come back no matter what. His heart would always belong to her, loving her was as natural to him as breathing was.

The last thing she remembered was him saying,"Damn it," before he was kissing her. She didn't know how to react, and she opened her mouth to say something, but after that, she lost all reasoning too.

When she opened her mouth, he slipped in his tongue, and tasted how sweet she was. However, he still wanted more, if this was the last time he could be with her in a long while, he was going to take advantage of it so long as she didn't refuse him. He put his arm around her waist, and pushed her closer to him.

Sarah had a pleasant surprise when he placed his tongue in her mouth, and then proceeded to move her body closer to his. She felt the heat emanating from his body, and his kisses became more forceful and ravenous. He moved down from her lips to her neck, and she let out a lustful moan," Edward…"

He heard her say his name and he realized he was standing at the edge of the abyss. He could either give into his carnal desires right then and there, or restrain himself and find out once and for all what she felt about him. It pained him, but he chose the latter. He stopped kissing the nape of her neck, and released his arm from her waist. "Sarah… I love you, I've always loved you. We've been just friends long enough for us to be honest to each other."

She could've denied it, and believed it came as a shock to her, but she didn't. She knew she was in denial all these years that he was in love with her. For one thing her father would never have approved, but she was more worried about ruining their friendship. With everything that she had going on in her life, she was better off never having any emotions at all. But when she looked his eyes, she knew she had no doubt: "I love you, Edward" and pressed her lips on his.

Happiness, just utter happiness, and that was the only thing he felt when she said that. They kissed passionately until they were breathless. "So.." Edward paused to take quick breaths, "where do we go from here?"

"Well… no one knows you've found me yet, so there are only two options," she put her forehead against his, "we could go back or…" She then proceeded to nibble on his earlobe.

This time he moaned, and he pinned her on the tree again, "Second option, definitely the second option," and proceeded to lift her up so her legs were on his waist. He had his hand caress her thigh and went up her leg underneath her dress. Her skin was so smooth and he felt his body yearn for her. She left in a rush that morning and so she only wore a traveling cloak over her negligee. He untied her cloak from around her neck and now only one article of clothing remained between him and her. "I want you," he whispered.

"Take me." she whispered back.

He then stripped her of her negligee also, and he was in awe of her body. He placed his hand over her soft curves and kissed her breast. She moaned in pleasure as he ravished her body with his mouth and skillful touch. It drove him mad that she was naked while he remained fully clothed, he took off his shirt and let it fall to the ground, then proceeded to carry her in his arms and laid her on the ground. He continued to kiss her while he removed his pants. Slowly but surely he inserted himself into her, their hands and mouths exploring each other's body. The rhythm they had together began slowly until it became a fast-paced symphony, suddenly Sarah let out a small cry of pain as something tore inside her. "Sarah, are you all right?" Edward knew this would happen since it was their first time, but he still worried. She merely smiled and kissed him, and they picked up where they left off. Their breathing became more hurried and frenzied, as he thrusted himself into her harder and faster. She began moaning his name over and over as she was reaching her peak. They both cried out at the same time, their orgasms coursing through their bodies. Edward collapsed in exhaustion next to Sarah, both of them panting.

"Wow… that… was… I can't even describe it…" panted Sarah.

"There's a first time for everything," said Edward. They laughed and kissed each other.

"Look, we're a mess, we have to get cleaned up…," but before she even finished her sentence, Edward picked her up bridal style and they dove into the lake together. While this time, they didn't do much swimming since the inevitable happened **(two teenagers skinny-dipping, you know what's going on)**, both of them would admit that was the best time they had in the water together.


	7. Loyalty

**(All right then, for those of you who skipped, you can start reading from this part. That earlier part was for the romantics; I was pretty bored and random ideas pop into your head late at night apparently lol, anyways let's continue on with the plot)**

**Loyalty**

When they arrived back home, her father didn't ask about their questionable appearances, but it was time for Edward to board his carriage. As he held Sarah's hand one last time, he whispered," I love you, and I promise I will come back to you."

Sarah whispered back, "I love you too, I have faith in you and I will wait for you for the rest of my life if I have to." And when the coachman closed the door that was the last time she saw him. She waited until she could no longer see the carriage on the road and returned to the manor with her father. Life continued on as normal, with the exception that Sarah cried herself to sleep the first few nights. Soon enough, without Edward, her cold hearted personality reemerged, which was just what Beckett wanted.

"No doubt you've discovered that loyalty is no longer the currency of the realm, as your father believes." stated Beckett.

Elizabeth came forth, "Then what is?"

"I'm afraid currency is the currency of the realm." answered Beckett.

"I expect then we can come to some sort of understanding, "Elizabeth stepped closer and closer to Beckett, "I'm here to negotiate."

"I'm listening," he said as Elizabeth raised a pistol at his head, "I'm listening intently."

"These letters of marquee, they are signed by the king?" Elizabeth raised the snatched papers in her hand.

"Yes, and they're not valid until they bear my signature and my seal," noted Beckett.

"Or else I would not still be here," prompted Elizabeth. "You sent Will to get the compass owned by Jack Sparrow. It will do you no good."

"Do explain." requested Beckett.

"I have been to the Isla de Muerta. I have seen the treasure myself. There is something you need to know." said Elizabeth.

"Actually, he already does know. It's amazing what you learn when you start to pick up on Spanish, including stories of Cortés and his conquistadors. "Sarah stepped out of the shadows with her own pistol at hand.

"Indeed, there's more than one chest of value in these waters." added Beckett.

"Come any closer, and I'll shoot right at that moment," Elizabeth warned Sarah.

"There won't be any shooting of anyone for now, Ms. Swann. If you kill my father, I'll shoot you right at that moment. Of course, it wouldn't kill you, I'd prefer you be brought to justice and then be hanged. Your father asked not to let him endure the sight of you walking to the gallows, I wonder if you could stand the sight of him walking there instead?" taunted Sarah.

Elizabeth nearly flinched at the sight of her cruel smile; she never looked more like Beckett's daughter at that moment.

"So perhaps you may wish to enhance you offer," said Beckett. Elizabeth cocked the gun and pushed onto his chin.

After a tense standoff, Beckett finally signed and sealed the letters of marquee. "I'll still want that compass, consider that into your calculations," warned Beckett. Looking back one last time, Elizabeth quickly disappeared into the night.

"Next time, make sure your pistol is always loaded, Sarah," lectured Beckett.

"She fell for my bluff though," countered Sarah. "I reminded her she was sacrificing her father to save her beloved Will."

"I'm proud of you," Beckett placed an arm on his daughter's shoulder. "You have a long trip ahead of you tomorrow, get some rest." Sarah nodded and went to her room.


	8. Atonement

**Atonement**

"There comes a time in one's life when one must take responsibility for one's mistake." stated Jack.

Will snatched a sword from an unsuspecting crew man and swished it near Jack's throat.

"I need that compass of yours, Jack," Will tilted his head towards it, "I must trade it for her freedom."

Jack gave him a suspicious look and pushed the sword's edge away. "."

"Captain." Joshamee Gibbs was at the helm.

"We have a need to travel upriver," murmured Jack.

"By need, do you mean a trifling need? Fleeting? As in a passing fancy?" asked Gibbs in a hopeful voice.

"No, a resolute and unyielding need." quipped Jack.

"What we need to do is make sail for Port Royal with all haste," interjected Will.

"William, I shall trade you the compass if you will help me find this to find this…" Jack presented Will the drawing of Davy Jones' key though Will had not yet comprehend its importance…

**A Visit to Tia Dalma**

"You know of Davy Jones, yes?" she inquired. "A man of the sea. A great sailor, until he run afoul of that which vex all men."

"What vexes all men?" asked Will.

Her fingers play with Will's hand, "What indeed?" she posed flirtatiously.

Gibbs, Pintel, and Ragetti gave increasingly worse answers, but Jack knew the answer from personal experience, "A woman."

"A woman. He fell in love." she confirmed.

"No, no, no, no. I heard it was the sea he fell in love with." Gibbs debated.

"Same story, different versions, and all are true. See, it was a woman, as changing and harsh and untamable as the sea. Him never stopped loving her. But the pain it cause him was too much to live with but not enough to cause him to die." she summarized.

"What exactly did he put into the chest?" questioned Will.

"Him heart." and she placed a hand over hers. "It was not worth feeling what small fleeting joy life brings. And so… him carve out him heart, lock it away in a chest, and hide the chest from the world. They key… he keep with him at all times."

Jack got the information he wanted and prepared to leave.

"Let me see your hand." ordered Tia Dalma. Jack hesitated but allowed to have her examine it.

She unwrapped the piece of Chinese lace he kept around his hand. "You still keep this after all the years?" she inquired.

Jack gave her a dark look, but kept his comments to himself.

Gibbs gasped. "The Black spot!" and proceeded to perform the cleaning ritual with Pintel and Ragetti following suit.

"My eyesight's as good as over, just so you know." mentioned Jack.

"I have just the thing. Now where did I put it?" Tia Dalma retreated to the back of her home. Loud clattering was heard from the other room. "My little beauty, where are you? Such a long time in such a mess." The men did not realize she was simply stalling and making noise to distract them. Tia Dalma knew exactly where the jar of dirt was, but she quickly jotted on a piece of paper and placed it inside the jar, filling it with extra dirt. **Three words**, which were all she written and she smiled to herself as she walked back. _Soon, Sparrow, all will be revealed._

Jack saw the black amethyst ring and quickly snatched it. He thought about which ring to replace it with, and he settled on the silver oriental ring that was on his left index finger. However, as he gave it look of longing he placed the dragon ring onto his thumb.

"Davy Jones cannot make port. Cannot step on land but once every ten years. Land is where you are safe, Jack Sparrow, and so you will carry land with you." she finished gravely.

Jack tentatively took it and waited a moment before he commented on it, "Dirt. This is a jar of dirt."

"Yes."

"Is the jar of dirt going to help?" he asked doubtingly.

"If you don't want it, give it back." she argued

"No." he held onto it protectively.

"Then it helps." She smiled.

"It seems we have a need to find the _Flying Dutchman."_ Will requested.

"A touch of destiny." And her crab claws revealed its location.

**The Turkish Prison**

Sarah had only visited the prison once before, but one couldn't forget the long pathway lined with prisoners hanging about in cages, eaten alive by the ravens. Her bodyguards covered their noses and mouths in an attempt to avoid the rotting stench of human flesh. She noticed the prison guards dumping bodies in simple wooden coffins into the sea.

A tall dark man was waiting for her at the gate, and as she approached him, he gave her a friendly hug, "Sarah Beckett! No time no see, dear one," he smiled.

"Mordillah, how's life being the warden?"

"Eh, same old, riots, prisoner escapes, the usual, nothing I can't handle," he gloated.

"Then how did you get that bump on your head?" she questioned. She gave him a grave look, and Mordillah knew he couldn't keep up the charade anymore.

"Fine… it was Jack Sparrow! He stole the drawing from one of my guards, and engaged me and my men into a fight. He butted me in the head with his cutlass, the nerve of that man! I barely survived the fall from the bridge and was lucky to only receive this bruise," he admitted.

"Mordy, you know I gave you explicit instructions to make sure that drawing remained hidden. My father and I are not pleased you allowed Jack Sparrow to escape with that drawing." she stated.

Mordillah was previously a guard to the Sultan of Arabia; he had fought with deadly assassins, bloodthirsty bandits, and murderous members of the royal family, but they were nothing compared to this girl. He truly feared for his own life because the Becketts always made sure to reward those loyal to them, and punish those who failed them. "Please, my lady, it was completely unintended, I tried my best to reclaim it, but you know how pirates behave, tricky bastards they are," he pleaded.

"Hmmm… you may return to your post now, warden," she said.

"Thank you, you and your father will not regret this," Mordillah declared.

"Oh, I believe my father will agree with you," she affirmed.

The warden quickly fled back to the safe of his prison, or so he thought. Mordillah did not notice the small army approaching the prison as Sarah gave the commands she received from her father. "Burn everything to the guard, make sure no one gets out alive," she ordered.

"Yes, Lady Sarah," they confirmed, and began laying about the death sentence onto the prison. Sarah quickly retreated back to her ship and waited until the terrible deed was done. Even from the safety of the cabin, she could hear the screams of the men as they tried to escape the burning building. "God, what have I done…" she beseeched.


	9. The Captain Goes Down with his Ship

**Marriage vs. Love**

"My intuitive sense of the female creature informs me that you are troubled," said Jack as he settled next to Elizabeth.

She was slightly annoyed by his presence, but answered him anyways, "I just thought I'd be married by now," she said in a wistful voice. Elizabeth did not notice the look of shock and disgust etched upon Jack's face. "I'm so ready to be married."

Jack handed her a bottle of rum and she willingly took a swig. "Lizzie, I am captain of a ship, and being captain of a ship, I could in fact perform a marr-i-age right here. Right on this deck. Right now…" he proposed.

She gave him a look of disgust and gave back the rum. "No, thank you."

"Why not?" he asked.

"Well I couldn't expect Captain Jack Sparrow of all people to respect the sanctity of marriage. To actually understand what it's like to love a person so much, you're willing to spend the rest of your life with them," explained Elizabeth.

"Pfft, marriage…" he mocked, "is nothing more than an ancient ritual designed to bind a woman forever in chains to her so-called loving husband."

"So what you're stating is that Will does not love me and I am an ordinary woman willing to bound forever as you described," countered Elizabeth.

"No… Elizabeth, you are the furthest from the definition of an ordinary woman, and I suppose you and Will share some sort of special bond with each other…" he admitted.

"Have you ever been in love?" Elizabeth inquired.

"What?" he responded in shock.

"It's a simple question, Jack, have you ever been in love?" she reiterated.

"Hmmm… I suppose during many, many, and many…" he emphasized "points in my life, I had believed so."

"And now, looking back, were any of them real?" she questioned. She never thought she would see the day, but the moment those words came out of her mouth, Elizabeth saw a look of utter lost and sadness upon Jack's face.

"Yes, once, but that was a long time ago." He took a swig of his rum. "Well now, let's not dwell on the dreary past," he noted, returning to his original purpose from earlier. "You and I, however, are very much alike. You and I. I and you. Us."

"Oh. Except for a sense of honor and decency and a moral center. And personal hygiene," she added for insult.

They continued to banter with each other, about the inevitability that Elizabeth would fall to the dark side of selfish impulse. Elizabeth confronted Jack with her belief, "You'll have the chance to do something… something courageous. And when you do, you'll discover something." He moved his head towards her. "That you're a good man." she finished.

"All evidence to the contrary." he argued.

"Oh, I have faith in you."

**Davy Jones Collects on Jack's Debt**

"Oi, fishface! Lose something? Eh? _Scrungili_!" Jack didn't notice the steps and promptly rolled down the deck. The crew knew that must've hurt, but Jack promptly raised his jar of dirt in response, "Got it!" "Come to negotiate, eh, have you, you slimy git? Look what I got. I got a jar of dirt, I got a jar of dirt. And guess what's inside it?" he taunted. Elizabeth was surprised by this blatant show of childishness.

"Enough!" Jones had no patience left for Jack Sparrow.

Jack's face fell at the sight of the cannons. "Hard to starboard..."

The _Pearl's _speed had saved them, and the crew cheered as the _Dutchman_ fell far behind, seemingly having given up its pursuit. Will wanted to stand and fight in order to save his father.

"Why fight when you can negotiate? All one needs is the proper leverage…" A jolt shook the entire ship, and Jack's precious jar of dirt smashed open. He frantically searched for the heart of Davy Jones, but there was nothing there among the dirt except for a scrap of paper which he hurriedly put into his pocket. "Where is it? Where is the thump-thump?" but he knew someone must've take it.

Will warned the kraken was coming now, and as everyone else frantically sought to defend the ship, Jack quietly got himself into a boat, and started rowing away from his beloved _Pearl_. He continued heading towards the island in the not too far off distance, but he could not ignore the chaos taking place on the _Pearl_. Jack remembered the slip of paper he shoved in earlier, and pulled it out. It only contained **three words**, but Jack read and reread them. He recognized Tia Dalma's handwriting, and had no doubt of the note's authenticity. He felt a small comfort, and hope entered his heart after such a long time. Jack pulled out his compass and the needle finally agreed upon a heading. He knew now what he must do; he needed to save the people who were part of his life.

Jack returned in time to deliver the crucial shot, and the cargo hold loaded with gunpowder and rum exploded upon the kraken. It moaned in pain before it momentarily retreated back into the sea. Only Jack, Will, Elizabeth, Gibbs, Marty, Cotton, Pintel, and Ragetti survived the brutal attack from Jones. As much as it pained him, he gave the order to abandon ship.

"Jack, the _Pearl_," Gibbs implored.

He remembered what he sacrificed to raise her from the depths thirteen years ago, and it pained him to leave her now. However, Jack knew that right now survival was his only goal. "She's only a ship, mate."

"Abandon ship. Abandon ship or abandon hope." Gibbs agreed.

Jack gave the _Pearl_ one last longing glance, or so he thought. Elizabeth had him fooled with her kiss until he heard the clink of the chains as she clamped his hand to the mast. "It's after you, not the ship. It's not us. This is the only way, don't you see? I'm not sorry."

He had only one last word for her: "Pirate."

As the remaining survivors rowed away, Jack managed to set himself free by greasing his hand with candle wax from a lantern. It was too late though as he met face-to- mouth with the kraken. At least he was reunited with his favorite hat. He greeted the leviathan, "Hello beastie." and attacked it head-on with his sword as the captain went down with his ship.


	10. A Chain of Events

**The Heart**

"Is there any news of the chest?" inquired Beckett. Sarah notified him of Jack Sparrow's theft of the drawing, but was pleased she dealt the required punishment in his place.

"None. But one of the ships did pick up a man adrift at sea. He had these." said Mercer, and presented the letters of marquee.

"I took the liberty of filling in my name." stated a grimy James Norrington.

"If you intend to claim these, then you must have something to trade. Do you have the compass?" demanded Beckett.

"Better." He threw a dirty sack onto Beckett's desk. Beckett and Sarah's eyes were in awe as the sack began beating as if it was alive. "The heart of Davy Jones."

"Amazing…" Sarah couldn't describe it, finally after all their efforts in searching, the heart itself was right there in front of them.

"At long last, we have the means to control the seas and destroy all pirates," Beckett declared. He had Mercer prepare a glass of brandy for him.

"To you, my daughter," he toasted, "None of this would have happened without you."

"Thank you, father," she smiled, relishing in the jealously Mercer must've felt and the pride she felt.

"Ah, yes that reminds me, I have some rather grim news unfortunately. One of our ships has gone missing near the Indian Sea, do you recollect the _Augusta?_" he hinted.

"Yes, its mission was to capture Sumbhajee Angria, the Pirate Lord of the Indian Ocean, wasn't Edward…" she trailed off as she realized what her father was telling her.

"You are correct, our own Mr. Hollings was aboard that ship sadly, monsoon season came earlier than we expected," he remarked, looking carefully at his daughter for her reaction.

She faced her father, her blue eyes turned deadly cold. "Well, at least he died in service to his Majesty, we should honor his sacrifice after our mission is completed." she stated bluntly.

Beckett was proud of her, she passed her final test, anything resembling love or kindness in her heart was snuffed out.

**The Journey to World's End**

They took shelter at Tia Dalma's cabin following Jack's death and it seemed everyone else on the island was in mourning with them.

"The _Pearl _is gone, along with its captain," remarked Will.

"Aye. And already the world seems a bit less bright. He fooled us all right till the end, but I guess that honest streak finally won out. To Jack Sparrow," Gibbs toasted.

The rest of them followed suit, except for Will who had nothing to say, and Cotton who couldn't really say anything without his parrot.

Will saw the tears on Elizabeth, and tried to comfort to her, "If there was anything could be done to bring him back…Elizabeth."

"Would you do it? Hm?" interrupted Tia Dalma. "What would any of you be willing to do? Hm? Would you sail to the ends of the Earth and beyond to fetch back witty Jack and him precious _Pearl_?"

Gibbs was the first to say aye, and all of them willingly agreed.

"All right… but if you go and brave the weird and haunted shores at World's End… then you will need a captain who knows those waters." She turned her head towards the footsteps coming down the stairs.

They couldn't believe it, none of them would've ever guessed Barbossa, alive again, but he was now right in front of them.

"So tell me, what's become of my ship?" He bit into an apple as Jack the monkey climbed onto his master's shoulder.

The chain of events that began thirteen years ago were beginning to unravel; allegiances, secrets, and destinies were soon to revealed.


	11. Revelations

**Nightmares**

Sarah knew she was dreaming. For one thing, instead of being in bed, she was on a beach, yet it still felt eerily familiar. Suddenly she heard gunshots and a scream and ran towards the noise. Her mother appeared in front of her, holding her three year old self. She was covered in blood and was frantically fleeing from her pursuers, her sapphire necklace dangling from her neck.

"Mum…" she whispered and started running after her. This must have been the day of her mother's death, she was only a toddler, but the memory of it was so powerful that she repressed it all these years. Bullets were flying through the air, but Sarah was unaffected since it was just a dream. Her mom let out a gasp as she collapsed onto the ground. Sarah caught up with her mother and saw that she was bleeding. A group of unsavory men dressed in ragged clothes were quickly approaching them. Mei Lin tried to protect her daughter as she wrapped her tightly in her arms. The men surrounded her and snatched Sarah from her.

"NO!, Let her go, she is innocent!" Mei Lin shouted, tears streaming down her face.

"MUM!" Sarah rushed to protect her mother, but she awoke at that moment. She sat up from her bed in a cold sweat; Sarah touched her face and realized she was crying. She hadn't cried in her bed ever since Edward's departure. "Edward…" and the tears began flowing again. This time he was really gone and she was truly all alone in this world. Her father's plans were running smoothly, everyday he had Davy Jones under his control, which meant more pirates were being killed and the closer he was to domination of the seas. Her goal in life in the beginning was to help her father anyway she could. Beckett would soon achieve his vision of a new world order dominated by the East India Trading Co. She had succeeded in every aspect according to her father, so why did she feel so completely hollow. Finally she managed to drift off to sleep, and had no further dreams.

She awoke to the sound of the birds' chirping outside, but was abruptly struck by a wave of nausea. Sarah promptly headed to her personal sink and vomited. Her maids were worried about her ill health, but she told them she was merely adjusting to the Caribbean climate and not to worry her father with trifles. Sarah knew she couldn't keep her pregnancy a secret for long, she was beginning to show. She had to keep it hidden until the baby showed signs of quickening, when the baby could start kicking, so that her father couldn't force her to abort the pregnancy. The child was the only thing she had that linked her and Edward and despite her recent bouts of depression, she felt a growing fondness toward her child.

She headed towards Fort Charles to report to her father, but she saw that another round of executions was beginning. Anyone associated with privacy whatsoever lost all of their legal rights and were immediately sentenced to death by hanging. She knew it was cruel, but her father argued that extreme precautions were necessary. "It is merely the sacrifice of the few to save the many, never lose sight of our goals, Sarah."

Still, Sarah felt of sense of disgust as she stared at the massive pile of boots gathered from the executed.

"The king and his men stole the queen from her bed…" a young boy began singing.

"Hoist the Colors…" Sarah recognized the song that called upon the Brethren Court. The hangman grabbed a barrel and placed the boy atop of it so that the noose could reach his neck.

"What are you doing? That's a child you're about to hang!" Sarah rushed to her father as if he went mad.

"That child was found assisting a man suspected of piracy," retorted Beckett.

"Then hang the man instead!" countered Sarah.

"Lord Beckett! They've started to sing sir." announced Lt. Groves.

"Finally." responded Beckett.

Sarah stood by as she watched them hang the group of people. "Never shall we die…" She swallowed back her tears and asked her father, "We're going after the Brethren Court now, aren't we?"

"Yes, Mercer and I will meet up with Jones, we've been having a slight problem with him killing every pirate and not leaving us anyone to interrogate." explained Beckett. "I expect you to remain here and keep an eye on things."

Sarah merely nodded and left the fort. A new shipment of soldiers seemed to be arriving for her father from the King every day; she wondered if her father would ever be satisfied with the amount of power he would be given.

"Um… excuse me, are you Lady Sarah?"

She looked back and saw a young man, barely out of his teens with light brown hair and a nervous expression.

"Yes, what do you want?" she asked.

"Um… you knew an Edward Hollings right? He wanted me to give this you when he found out I was reporting to your father in Port Royal. I heard about his ship gone missing, I'm sorry m'lady." He handed her a package, bowed, and followed back in line with the other soldiers.

Sarah stared at the package, Edward knew that the two of them were being watched carefully and went through great means to deliver this to her. She immediately headed back to her room and opened it.

She found three things: a letter from Edward, a necklace, and a rolled up document.

**Edward's Letter**

_Dear Sarah,_

_I hope this letter finds you quickly and in good health. I do not have much time, your father's men will soon find me missing so I must be blunt. When I finished my training, I quickly went back to the manor and broke into your father's office. I knew your father planned it so that all of you would've left for Port Royal by now so that we could not see each other together. I picked the lock on the secret safe your father kept beneath his desk. I found only two things: this sapphire necklace and this torn contract. I do not know what any of this means, but I know you will figure it out for yourself. Remain strong and keep your faith in me, we will be together again._

_Love, Edward_

She started crying as she read the letter since it was the last thing he had written to her before his death. The _Augusta _was found on the rocks as a complete wreck, and there were no survivors found. She gasped as she examined the sapphire necklace. It was the exact same one she saw in her dream! The one she saw her mother wore… She quickly unrolled the contract and read it carefully.

"No, it couldn't be… What is the meaning of all this?" but the words were right there. It was a contract between her father, Cutler Beckett and… Sao Feng, the Pirate Lord of the South China Sea. "How? My father made a deal with a pirate!" She saw that it was dated before her birth and the subject of the contract was… Mei Lin Feng.

"It can't be possible, how could mother's maiden name be Feng, she was probably a wife or concubine of Feng's that he sold to father…" Unfortunately the contract was worn and a huge piece of it was torn off. Sarah knew what she needed to do to get answers, "I need to leave for Singapore immediately…"


	12. Singapore

**Singapore **

As Barbossa and Elizabeth entered through the bathhouse, the steam faded and revealed two twins dressing a man in a regal Chinese robe. He turned before them and Barbossa had himself and Elizabeth bow to him.

"Captain Barbossa, welcome to Singapore." he greeted in a heavy Chinese accent. "More steam." he demanded and one of the twins pulled a lever.

Barbossa needed a ship and a crew to make the journey to Davy Jones' locker, but he also needed Sao Feng's mysterious navigational charts. Legend told that they could lead its user anywhere he wanted, even to places beyond this world. Unfortunately Will had been caught trying to steal it in Feng's uncle's temple, and Elizabeth's moment of weakness when Sao Feng was about to stab Will revealed their true intentions.

"You come into my city and you betray my hospitality."

"Sao Feng, I assure you I had no idea…"

"That he would get caught!" seethed Feng. "You intend to attempt the voyage to Davy Jones' Locker… But I cannot help but wonder… Why?"

Barbossa gave a knowing look and tossed the Piece of Eight to him. Sao Feng blew on it and held it to his ear. There was no doubt that he could not hear the tell-tale ringing.

"The song has been sung. The time is upon us. We must convene the Brethren Court. As one of the nine Pirate Lords, you must honor the call." warned Barbossa.

"Uncle, you know this is true… I warned you about this," Sarah appeared through the steam, dressed in a black quju with gold trimming, wearing her mother's necklace.

Elizabeth was incensed upon her appearance, "What is she doing here? Do not believe her lies, Sao Feng, she is the daughter of Cutler Beckett!"

"I know she is Beckett's daughter… and she IS my niece," confirmed Sao Feng.

"How could that be possible?" Elizabeth asked.

Sao Feng threw a worn scroll of two pieces taped together to Barbossa, and he quickly unraveled it.

"It's a contract I made long ago, regrettably, of my release of my beloved sister, Mei Ling, to Beckett in marriage. She left Singapore willingly for England in order to protect our family. Sarah is undoubtedly her daughter and therefore my blood relative."

"How can you be so sure?" inquired Elizabeth, she still did not trust what Sarah must have told Sao Feng.

"Her eyes… those sapphire blue eyes were the same as my sister's, and my mother's, and practically all of the women in our family. We are quite a rarity in this part of the world, like my sister's necklace my niece now wears." replied Feng.

"And her being half Beckett does not worry you, aye?" questioned Barbossa.

"I was there when they began to sing the song, Barbossa. I was there when all those innocent people were hanged for crimes they did not commit so they would be forced to sing it. I am afraid my father is becoming the danger in this world that he sought to destroy." admitted Sarah.

"And you expect us to believe you would betray your father?" asked Elizabeth.

"I am afraid none of us are safe anymore, they've tracked myself and my uncle already and soon they would swarm upon us to kill us all. We are on the same boat, apparently." responded Sarah.

"There is a price on all our heads." said Feng.

"Aye." said Barbossa.

"It is true. It seems the only way a pirate can make a profit anymore…is by betraying other pirates." hinted Feng as he looked at Will Turner.

"Our rule of the seas is being challenged by none other than your brother-in- law, Lord Cutler Beckett." confronted Barbossa.

"Against the East India Trading Co., what can any of us do? What value is the Brethren Court?" argued Feng.

"You can fight! You are Sao Feng, the Pirate Lord of Singapore. The most notorious pirates from around the world are uniting against our enemy, and yet you sit here cowering in your bathwater!" dared Elizabeth.

Sao Feng stepped down and approached her, "You are right, Sarah, she certainly is headstrong. There is more to her than meets the eye, isn't there?…and the eye does not go wanting," he whispered to Elizabeth. "But I cannot help but notice you have failed to answer my question. What is it you seek in Davy Jones' Locker?"

"Jack Sparrow. He's one of the pirate lords." answered Will.

The twins, Park and Lian giggled at the mention of his name, but Sao Feng had a different reaction. "The only reason… I would want Jack Sparrow returned from the land of the dead…is so I can send him back there myself!" he yelled.

"Jack Sparrow holds one of the nine Pieces of Eight. He failed to pass it along to a successor before he died. So we must go and get him back." declared Barbossa.

"Why is he there in the first place? Jack Sparrow cannot possibly be dead…" debated Sarah.

"I am afraid he is, he made a deal with Jones to raise the _Pearl _in exchange for the promise for his soul long ago, and even he couldn't escape his fate." answered Barbossa.

Sao Feng stared at the melting dragon tattoo upon a man's back, "So… you admit you have deceived me. Weapons!"

The occupants of the bathhouse, the twins, and Sarah brought out their swords.

"Sao Feng, I assure you, our intentions are strictly honorable." but four swords flew from the wall and Barbossa and Elizabeth grabbed one in each hand.

"Yes, how honorable of you to come in peace with swords no doubt supplied by your comrades underneath the floor," remarked Sarah.

"Drop your weapons, or I kill the man!" Sao Feng had his sword at the throat of the impostor.

"Kill him, he's not our man." said Barbossa.

"If he's not with you, and he's not with us…who's he with?" posed Will.

"Oh, god… PREPARE FOR AN ATTACK NOW!" screamed Sarah, just as the East Indian Trading Co. burst through with Mercer leading.

The fight was immediately under way, Sarah managed to take down five men before Mercer took a shot at her. She shoved one of the Company's soldiers as a human shield before she started climbing up the poles that supported the bathhouse. Mercer was incensed that he missed Sarah, but saw a prime opportunity to take down Elizabeth Swann. However Will pushed her out the way and Mercer killed Park instead. Suddenly there was an explosion and the bathhouse floor collapsed beneath most of the soldiers, leaving a trail of smoke.

"Mercer, you filthy murderous pig! Come and get me, or have your men attempt it!" taunted Sarah.

They looked up and saw that Sarah managed to slash her way through the bathhouse's roof, leaving a gaping hole. "Uncle, get everyone outside now!" she shouted before she disappeared.

"After her now!" ordered Mercer.

Sarah jumped from one rooftop to another, as soldiers attempted to shoot her down. She was too swift for them though, and her fleeting shots managed to hit most of them. _Father never thought I would someday use my training against him…_

More explosions took place in the city, and as the soldiers lost track of her, she quickly dived towards the harbor and swam towards the _Hai Peng._ If Sao Feng agreed to give Barbossa a ship, it would be the _Hai Peng _he would offer and she knew her uncle's options were running out. When she saw Tai Huang leading them, she knew they would now journey to Davy Jones' Locker. Elizabeth and Will sneered at her presence on the ship.

"So Ms. Beckett, it's been a long while since I laid eyes on you," greeted Barbossa.

"You two have met before?" inquired Will.

"Aye, who did you think it was that led me to the medallion in Port Royal?" Barbossa mentioned.

"It was you that led them to capture me during the attack!" responded Elizabeth.

"Well you wouldn't have been captured if you left the medallion behind and retreated to the fort like I told you to," retorted Sarah.

"It seems you have played a great part in the dealings of the past," spoke Tia Dalma.

"Tia Dalma…" Sarah actually curtsied to her, "I have heard a great deal of your renown throughout the Caribbean…" but Tia Dalma interrupted her and placed a hand on her stomach.

"You are with child, hm?" she asked. Will, Elizabeth, Barbossa, and Tai Huang turned their heads towards her.

Sarah ignored their surprised glances, "Yes… it's been a very difficult time for me…"

"And the father?" solicited Tia Dalma.

"Dead… Edward has left me and this world" said Sarah, tears streaming down her face. "Excuse me." she sniffled and retreated below deck.

The _Hai Peng _left the harbor and the crew prepared to set sail for the open seas. "There's no place left for Sao Feng to cower. Do you think he will honor the call?" queried Elizabeth.

"I cannot say. There's an evil on these seas that even the most staunch and bloodthirsty pirates have come to fear." answered Tia Dalma.

**FYI: A quju (what Sarah's wearing) is basically a traditional Chinese robe for females. Google it if you're really curious about what it looks like.**


	13. What was Lost and What was Found

**Loss**

The _Hai Peng _was now in the frozen seas of the Northern Hemisphere, and everyone on board tried to cope with the freezing cold.

"Why don't that obeah woman bring Jack back the same way she brought back Barbossa?" debated Pintel.

"Because Barbossa was only dead," Tia Dalma snapped. "Jack Sparrow is taken, body and soul, to a place not of death, but punishment. The worst fate a person can bring upon himself… stretching on forever. That's what awaits at Davy Jones' Locker."

Tai Huang and Sarah were watching Will trying to decipher the navigational charts.

"Nothing here is set. These can't be as accurate as modern charts." Will shivered.

"No, but it leads to more places." replied Tai Huang.

"Places beyond your information, I've played around with them during my stay at Singapore," prompted Sarah.

"Well then, why don't you try it out? Obviously, you know more than I do," complained Will.

"Can't, I'm under orders from Tia Dalma not to interfere since apparently you have 'a touch of destiny about you', Will," quoted Sarah.

"What is the point of you even being here then?" retaliated Will.

Tai Huang quickly defended Sarah, "You will show some respect towards a family member of Sao Feng's, need I remind this is his ship you and your friends are traveling on?"

Will growled under his breath and continued trying to decipher the maps. "Over the edge. Over again" he read. "Sunrise sets. Flash of green."

"Do you care to interpret, Captain Barbossa?" asked Will as he handed over the charts. Sarah listened intently to the explanations behind the cryptic messages. Apparently the green flash marked when a soul from the dead returned to the world of the living.

"Trust me, young Master Turner. It's not getting to the land of the dead that's the problem. It's getting back." remarked Barbossa.

Suddenly Sarah let out a sharp cry of pain and collapsed onto the deck. "The baby…" said Sarah as blood started flowing down her legs. Tia Dalma tended to her throughout most of the night and Sarah refused to see any visitors. Finally Tia Dalma opened the door to Sarah's room and stepped outside to meet with the crew.

"How is she?" asked Tai Huang.

"She lost her baby, but Sarah's alive," replied Tia Dalma.

**The Edge of the World**

A couple days later, and Sarah was back on her feet. No one dared to invoke her wrath by mentioning the baby and most of them left her alone. As they sailed through the majestic icebergs of the Arctic, Sarah felt miniscule as she tried to grasp the scale of her existence. She had lost everything, her identity, her father's love, Edward, and now her child. All that mattered now was saving Jack Sparrow, reuniting the Brethren Court, and defeating her father's armada. Even if they managed to survive, what would become of her life after that? _One step at a time, we haven't even reached Davy Jones' Locker_ she thought.

The crew breathed a sigh of relief as they sailed out of the freezing cold. The ocean was now so clear that its reflection of the night sky looked like as if each star was painted onto the water's surface. Will looked up ahead and saw they were quickly approaching the end of the world.

"For what we want most… there is a cost must be paid in the end." cautioned Tia Dalma. Will warned the others that they were headed into dangerous waters.

"Let her run straight and true!" shouted Barbossa. Sarah saw that they were quickly approaching a gigantic waterfall and held fast to the jackline.

"Hold on!" shouted Will. Everyone braced for the impact as they fell through the air into the crushing water underneath.

**The Past Revealed **

As they crawled onto the shore, coughing up the seawater, they remembered where they were: Davy Jones' Locker. There was nothing but mountains of sand as far as the eye could see. One could imagine the terrible fate sentenced to Jack Sparrow as he would be forced to spend eternity in the vast wasteland. Everyone had doubts that they wouldn't be able to even find Jack or the _Pearl_ here except for Tia Dalma. Their mouths widened in shock as they saw a horde of crabs carrying the _Pearl _and Jack Sparrow himself standing on the mainmast through the sand.

"Impossible," said Tai Huang.

"You mean improbable," countered Sarah as she observed the crabs retreating back to Tia Dalma.

When Jack Sparrow came ashore, he talked as if he was in a dream to Gibbs, Barbossa, and Tia Dalma.

"The madness of the Locker got to him," muttered Sarah.

"He thinks we're a hallucination," remarked Will.

"William, tell me something. Have you come because you need my help to save a certain distressing damsel, or rather a damsel in distress? Either one," asked Jack.

"No."

"Well then, you wouldn't be here, would you? So you can't be here. Q.E.D, you're not really here." argued Jack.

_Oh, enough of this nonsense… _"Captain Jack Sparrow!" shouted Sarah as she stepped out of line to approach him.

When Jack saw Sarah, he looked as if he had seen a ghost. "What are you doing here… you shouldn't be here!" he snapped.

Sarah was taken aback by his sudden strange reaction, "Pardon me?"

"Right, right, right…" Jack waved his finger at her, "You're a clever one, Jonsey, what better way to make me suffer than by having Mei Lin, of all people, appear in front of me? Amazing, you got every single detail down right to her necklace!" He pointed straight at the sapphire necklace Sarah was wearing.

"How did you know my mother?" demanded Sarah.

Jack was about to launch into another rant when he heard her question. "Mother?..." he looked so utterly confused until he finally comprehended what she was saying. "Sarah…" he whispered.

"Look at the note I gave you Jack, the one from the jar," said Tia Dalma. Jack reached into his pocket and pulled the note out. He read it once more before he handed it to Sarah. She took the crumpled piece of paper and gave a look at it herself.

_Sarah is alive._

"Well, what's the meaning of this? Of course, I'm alive, I may be in the Locker right now, but I'm most certainly not dead." Sarah responded.

"You may have known that, but for over thirteen years I thought you were dead, Sarah," replied Jack. "Tell me, who do you think your family is?"

"My family? Well um… I suppose you knew my mother, Mei Lin Feng? Obviously you and my uncle know each other, the two of you being Pirate Lords. And my father is… Cutler Beckett, but of course he might have disowned me by now," finished Sarah.

"Beckett…" Jack rolled up his hand into a tight fist, "Do you recollect having any memories around the time you were three, Sarah?" asked Jack.

"Yes… my mother was killed during a pirate attack when we on holiday," said Sarah.

"On an island in the Caribbean, I suppose?" questioned Jack.

"How did you… how did you know that?" demanded Sarah.

Jack grabbed Sarah's hand and gripped it tightly. "Many years ago, I met your mother, Mei Ling, the sister of Sao Feng in Singapore. Of course it wasn't love at first sight, but we eventually became inseparable. Sao Feng never forgave me for taking his dear sister away from him. When a young Cutler Beckett came around in Singapore, he struck a deal with Sao Feng after seeing your mother. In exchange for having Mei Lin as his wife, he agreed to have the East India Trading Co. cease its operations in Singapore. I tried to have your mother run away with me, but she refused to abandon her duty. Your mother was always loyal to a fault to the ones she loved…" he reminisced.

"So I did what I thought was my only option, I got employed by the East India Trading Co. Beckett never suspected that Mei Lin and I were lovers for a while. When your mother became pregnant, he realized what was going on. I still remember the day I had an order to transport slaves, but I refused and set them all free. Beckett had my ship, the _Wicked Wench_ burned and had me branded as a pirate. I should've known by then that your mother and I were in danger. Fortunately, we managed to escape, and we decided to head for the Caribbean. You were born when we were nearing the end of our journey… on a rainy day in September," he smiled at the memory.

"We settled on one of the tiny deserted islands for about three years raising you as a family. After a while, I missed the freedom of traveling on the sea and the _Wench_. I told your mother of my plan to strike a deal with Davy Jones, she thought I was mad, but when I argued that Beckett might find us someday, she let me go. The day I left to find the _Dutchman_ was the last time I saw the two of you. When the _Wench _was resurrected, I rechristened her the _Black Pearl._ I got back and there wasn't a trace of the two of you on the island. Our house was burned down and I found two trails of blood so I assumed the worst. I never found out what happened, I couldn't even be sure that it was even Beckett who did it. I remember your mother made me promise that if anything happened while I was gone, I would continue living my life and not dwell on the past. But now I know the truth, Beckett murdered Mei Lin and kidnapped you to raise you as his tool," seethed Jack.

"No… No… it can't be possible, I… you think I'm your daughter?" screamed Sarah.

"It is the truth," stated Tia Dalma, "Your father visited me, with your mother when you were a baby."

"I cannot believe this, I'm the daughter of a pirate… I must be dreaming, please wake up, wake up, Sarah…" she closed her eyes and started rambling.

"Your daughter's gone mad, Jack," remarked Barbossa.

"She'll be fine, she's reunited with her father after all," but Jack could see his daughter was becoming hysterical.

"Jack, Cutler Beckett has the heart of Davy Jones. He controls the _Flying Dutchman_." interrupted Will.

"He's taking over the seas," added Elizabeth.

"The song has been sung. The Brethren Court is called," notified Tia Dalma.

"Leave you people alone for a minute, look what happens. Everything's gone to pot," concluded Jack.

"Aye, Jack the world needs you back something fierce," agreed Gibbs.

"And you need a crew," told Will.

"Why should I sail with any of you? Four of you tried to kill me in the past. One of you succeeded," he stared straight at Elizabeth. Will looked at her in shock. "Oh she's not told you. You'll have loads to talk about while you're here." Jack tried to leave behind Barbossa, Elizabeth, Will, Pintel, and Ragetti behind, but he saw that his compass didn't work in the Locker.

"Jack… which way are you going?" taunted Barbossa as he revealed the charts. Jack sneered at he realized he had no choice but to take them aboard the _Pearl _as well.

"I'm not going anywhere with you, father or not… What? Let me go!" shouted Sarah. Jack promptly threw his daughter over his back as he ignored her protests and her kicking. If Sarah was in a stable state of mind at the time, she would've slipped out of his grasp, but in her hysterics, she was acting like a child throwing a tantrum.

Onboard the _Pearl_, Barbossa and Jack were bickering like a married couple over who was the Captain and Will and Elizabeth were having a moment of crisis in their relationship. Sarah was locked inside her father's cabin until she regained her bearings. The news that she was really Sarah **Sparrow **was a huge wave thrown upon her and realized that her newfound destiny was just beginning.


	14. Trapped Between Life and Death

**Trapped Between Two Worlds**

Nightfall was soon upon them, Pintel and Ragetti wondered about the strange floating bodies in the water as they stared at them from the deck. Ragetti posed the question of what would happen if one dropped a cannonball on them, which Pintel eagerly agreed to test out. However, when Tia Dalma glared at them, they immediately ceased starting their experiment. "Be disrespectful, it would." said Pintel.

"They should be in the care of Davy Jones." she berated. "That was the duty him was charged with… by the goddess, Calypso. To ferry those who die at sea to the other side. And every ten years… him could come ashore… to be with she who love him… truly… But the man has become a monster."

"So he wasn't always… tentaclely?" asked Ragetti.

"No. Him was a man…once." She touched the locket close to her heart.

"And Calypso was the goddess who played with that man's soul. Ironic that it was love that turned him into a monster." concluded Sarah.

Pintel and Ragetti turned away and saw her, giving off worried glances.

"Stop looking at me like that, if I was still hysterical, I wouldn't have stepped out," snapped Sarah. She joined them at the edge of the ship and looked out into the sea.

"Now there's boats coming," observed Ragetti.

The whole crew stepped out to gaze at the approaching boats. "They're not a threat to us. Am I right?" questioned Will.

"We are nothing but ghosts to them," explained Tia Dalma.

"It's best just let them be," added Barbossa.

The boats each had a tiny lantern up front, its occupants deadly quiet and unaware of their surroundings. For Sarah, it had an adverse reaction upon her; sadly, she recognized some of those people, those that were killed by her previously assumed father, Cutler Beckett. _With my help… _she thought as the guilt started to tear at her. _Murderer, demon, executioner, slaughterer… _she could have sworn they were whispering about her and that only she could hear.

"Father! Father, here, look here!" yelled Elizabeth. She assumed that they had made it back, but the truth had sunk in that her father was actually dead. He was killed for knowing too much about the heart of Davy Jones. Elizabeth tried to have him board onto the _Pearl_, but it was already too late.

"There was this chest, you see. It's odd. At the time it seemed so important. And a heart. I learned that if you stabbed the heart, yours must take its place. And you will sail the seas for eternity. The _Dutchman_ must have a captain. Silly thing to die for." said Weatherby.

"Take the line!" yelled Elizabeth.

"I'm so proud of you, Elizabeth." Elizabeth became hysterical just as Sarah had been and tried to go overboard.

"She must not leave the ship!" warned Tia Dalma.

"I'll give your love to your mother, shall I?" and those were Weatherby Swann's last words to his daughter.

"Please I won't let you go!" cried Elizabeth. Will restrained her and she sobbed in his arms. Will asked if there was any hope, but Tia Dalma said that he was at peace.

"Beckett, you murderer! You were responsible for this too, Sarah! My father's blood is on your hands!" screamed Elizabeth.

"Sarah…" Jack spun around, "Where is she?"

"Here, father…" replied Sarah in an eerily calm voice.

They looked all around for her location, finally, Pintel spotted Sarah. She was precariously sitting upon the _Pearl's _figurehead.

"Sarah, please climb back up on deck," pleaded Jack.

"Elizabeth's right, father, there's so much blood on my hands. I was the one who found him suspects to torture. I was the one who did his bidding by leading him to the heart. I am responsible for so much suffering and death…" she started sobbing. "It should be me you see floating in the water, lost for all eternity…" She was preparing to jump and meet her fate.

"SARAH!" Jack shouted, but Sarah already plunged into the sea. Everyone scanned the water, but there was no trace of Sarah among the floating bodies.

"If her remains there any longer, I fear her soul will be trapped between the two worlds forever…" worried Tia Dalma.

"Well what can anyone do, we can't leave the ship… Jack!" shouted Gibbs.

"Pull me up when I give the line a tug!" said Jack before he dove into the water. He had tied one end of the rope to the mast and the other onto his waist.

"How can he expect to find her among all those bodies?" asked Will.

"The compass, Master Turner, it seems there is one thing Jack cares more about than his freedom…" explained Barbossa.

"A father's love, powerful thing it is," spoke Tia Dalma. There was a sudden tug along the rope, and the crew sprung into action.

"PULL!" ordered Gibbs, and soon Jack climbed aboard, soaking wet along but along with Sarah. Jack laid his daughter down on the deck, but she was unconscious and her skin was ashy gray.

"She looks like those macabre bodies down there…," commented Pintel, but a sharp look from Jack stopped him from continuing.

"What's happening to her?" questioned Will.

"I fear she was drowning in guilt by her past actions and saw no other choice than to end her life. If we cannot revive her, she will be forever lost, neither dead nor alive," explained Tia Dalma.

"How do we save her…?" Jack was staring at his daughter; he was reunited with her only to lose her again.

"By giving her a reason to live," replied Tia Dalma.

"How do we do that? We hardly know anything about her," replied Elizabeth, despite her grief, she felt guilty that Sarah actually had some empathy for the pain she caused.

"Perhaps what we seek lies in her memories…" hinted Tia Dalma.

In the end, Tia Dalma chose Jack, Will, and Elizabeth to participate in the ceremony. She had them sit in a circle, with Sarah in the center, surrounded by candles, and then sprinkled some sort of powder onto them.

"How is this possible? We're actually about to enter Sarah's mind?" challenged Will.

"After all this time, you still doubt me?" retorted Tia Dalma. "Drink this, she ordered," and passed a cup of what looked like black tar.

"Ugh…" tasted Elizabeth. Will and Jack had pretty much the same reaction to the concoction.

"How long do we have?" asked Jack.

"As long as Sarah does not force you out, you will be safe," replied Tia Dalma.

"And if she refuses us?" posed Will.

"Then there is nothing you can do for her," answered Tia Dalma. "Close your eyes." She then began chanting in an unknown language, and the three of them started to feel drowsy. When they opened their eyes, they found themselves back in Port Royal.

"Unbelievable…" remarked Will.

"We have to hurry, unlike us, Sarah doesn't have much time," rebuked Jack, and so they set off on their search.


	15. Memories

**Disclaimer: I do not own the lyrics or the rights to any songs mentioned in this chapter.**

**Memories [Sorry I didn't organize it into sections, but the human mind is a complicated thing, hehe. I promise the next chapter will be better organized ;)]  
**

They were like ghosts inside Sarah's memories; they could only observe and couldn't interfere with what had happened already. At first they were by the docks of Port Royal, but then they abruptly disappeared and reappeared in Beckett's office.

"Do what you can for my daughter," as Swann was unhandcuffed.

"So, you see, Mr. Mercer, Sarah, every man has a price he willingly accept, even for that which he hoped never to sell," remarked Beckett.

"Becket…," muttered Elizabeth, but Will restrained her.

The scene shifted, it was the middle of the night and Sarah was hurriedly packing a few of her belongings in her room. She carefully opened and shut the door and crept down the stairs.

"What are you doing?" asked a voice.

Sarah jumped and nearly dropped her lantern, but she regained her footing, "Governor Swann?"

"I find it hard to believe you are embarking on another mission for your father since you appear to be sneaking out into the night," commented Swann.

Sarah looked guiltily at him, "You are right, my father has become a monster, and I need to flee to Singapore in order to find out what secrets he's hiding from me. I am truly sorry for the pain I caused for you and your family. I hope you can forgive me. I still have some connections that my father remains unaware of, please come with me, you know no one is safe anymore in the Caribbean," pleaded Sarah.

"It is too late for me… I tried to go behind your father's back once and my daughter nearly paid the price for it. You will be safer traveling alone, you know your father very well. I wish you luck," replied Swann.

"Farewell…" said Sarah.

"Wait," he stopped her, "If you find Elizabeth, make sure she remains safe," he implored.

"I promise." Sarah owned him at least that, and that was the end of that memory.

Elizabeth was quietly crying at seeing her father again, and Will tried to console her. "He's always loved, you know that."

"And I abandoned him," sobbed Elizabeth.

"It wasn't your fault, love," comforted Jack.

They were now in Singapore and Sarah was dressed in a Chinese peasant outfit with a sword at Tai Huang's throat. "Now take me to Sao Feng because I think being headless will negatively impact your employment,' threatened Sarah.

"Hoi," growled Tai Huang and the bathhouse's door opened. Everyone was immediately wary of Sarah's presence since she had the captain of Sao Feng's guards by the throat, literally.

Sao Feng appeared out of the steam, "Who do you think you are, threatening my men?" shouted Sao Feng, but he gasped when he saw Sarah.

She released Tai Huang and tossed her mother's marriage contract to Sao Feng, "Did you know my mother, Mei Ling **Feng**?" asked Sarah.

Sao Feng scanned the document, and brought out another piece of paper, the two halves fitted each other perfectly. He threw them on the floor and came forth to hug Sarah.

Everyone was shocked by the sudden change of events, but none more so than Sarah. "Uh…" Sarah didn't know how to react; she never let anyone close enough to be near her except for Edward. Beckett of course never hugged his adopted daughter.

"At long last, I've finally met you. Tell me, is your mother with you?" inquired Sao Feng after quickly letting her go.

"No… she died a long time ago… how did know her?" repeated Sarah.

"She was my most beloved sister… I never saw her again after she sailed off to England to marry Beckett," answered Sao Feng.

"Wait… you are my uncle?" said a shocked Sarah. _I have pirate blood in me then…_ she thought. Sao Feng nodded in confirmation.

"Then we are all in danger. My father, Cutler Beckett, has the heart of Davy Jones. He has been hanging people associated with piracy to force the Brethren to meet. The song has been sung." Sarah gave the coin to her new-found uncle, and he heard the ringing emanating from it.

"If what you say is true… there is nothing we can do. We cannot strike against Beckett so long as he has the _Dutchman _under his rule. I will keep you safe in Singapore for as long as I can, but we must keep out of this war," declared Sao Feng.

Sarah didn't like the thought of not fighting back, but for now, he was right. _We have to wait, I can feel something coming in the wind…_

Jack, Will, and Elizabeth saw a few more glimpses of memories Sarah had of them and of the recent past, including her misscarriage. Jack was shocked that his daughter nearly shot him in Port Royal, but knew there was some hope left for her when she restrained herself. _If Beckett truly claimed her, she would never have hesitated._ They saw her react to the news of Edward's death and of their final goodbye.

They appeared in a stately ballroom; it was the King's annual Christmas Ball and Sarah was proving to be a hit among the young men. While she was dancing with one, she was subtly flirting with three others waiting for her with body language and hand signals.

Edward was green with jealously and was glad when Mercer told him Beckett wanted to see Sarah immediately. Mercer was uncomfortable in social gatherings so Edward told him he would escort Sarah home and he could take the carriage himself. He was glad for the chance to be alone with Sarah while Mercer took up his offer. "All right, time to go, Ms. Beckett," he declared cheerfully, not caring about the outraged look of her partner as he stepped between them.

When they were walking outside in the snow, a group of homely carolers were singing. "God rest you merry Gentlemen. Let nothing you dismay. Remember Christ, our Saviour, was born on Christmas-day."

Sarah deftly placed some coins in their collection basket. "Thank you, miss" they replied.

"I saw that," smiled Edward. Despite her upkeep of her image as Beckett's daughter, Sarah still did random acts of kindness whether it was donating old clothes or giving her servants a needed day off. It often happened so slightly that only he noticed, and not even Sarah did herself.

"You didn't have to be so rude earlier," snapped Sarah, obviously trying to change the subject.

"Well if you weren't flaunting yourself, I wouldn't have needed to be rude," countered Edward.

"You're jealous," guessed Sarah.

"I am not!" but his face was becoming red.

"Hmm… I must be a better actress than what I thought, you know father wants me to keep up the family's image," remarked Sarah.

"Yes, your family's reputation benefits from you openly flirting with every eligible bachelor in London," insinuated Edward.

Sarah was peeved by his unfair criticism, "Well, what does it matter to you, you know I'm expected to marry someday. Not that I expect you to understand…" but Sarah realized her mistake.

"Well I hope you enjoyed ensnaring the hearts of young men, Ms. Beckett," snapped Edward.

Edward remained quiet for the rest of their walk, but Sarah could tell a storm was raging inside him, and actually felt a little bit of fear seeing him like that. Edward rarely brought out his temper, but when he did... Sarah preferred not to dwell on it.

When they arrived at the manor, Sarah and Edward were about to depart for Beckett's office and bed, respectively. Then, Sarah impulsively gave Edward a quick peck on the check.

"What was that for?" spluttered Edward, inwardly he was very pleasantly surprised.

"Uh... mistletoe?" but Sarah blushed at her excuse since Beckett preferred not to decorate the manor for the holidays. "Well, as a reminder that you're the only young man whose company I actually being with..."she admitted. She suddenly turned towards her father's office and said good night to Edward before she embarassed herself any further.

Edward remaind frozen staring after her, the storm within him earlier had calmed. "I know I love her beyond any hope or reason, but then she just kissed me... God, I am going to go mad because of her someday," muttered Edward and he went to bed, lost in thoughts about why love was so confusing.

"Enter," said Beckett at the sound of Sarah's knock.

"You wish to see me, father?" asked Sarah.

Beckett opened up a few volumes for Sarah to look at. Some of them were in Greek, Latin, and other indistinguishable languages, but Sarah had written down translations placed over the pages. "Are you sure about this? Does the heart of Davy Jones exist and can we use it to control the seas?"

"I triple-checked, father. I found stories of Calypso, the sea goddess, and her relationship with Davy Jones. They're not just old pirate legends, Davy Jones is real, therefore his heart must be real. I found mention of him in stories around the world, it's not a coincidence," confirmed Sarah.

"Well then, we have a lot of work ahead of us," declared Beckett.

'I've already begun," and Sarah showed Beckett the drawing of Davy Jones' key.

Jack, Will, and Elizabeth noticed they were going back further into the past. Sarah was noticeably younger with each passing memory, and they saw what it was like for her being raised by Beckett. Her training was brutal, Beckett expected perfection every time he tested her, and Mercer was there ready to punish her in his place, whip in his hand, if she slipped up even once in her weapons skills or academics. They saw her luring men Beckett wanted information out of with an innocent face, and then revealed her real purpose when their guard was let down.

"Now, once again Mr. Thomas, when was the last time you saw those coins?" Sarah showed him a drawing of one of Cortez's cursed Aztec coins. Thomas had a bruise on his head and was tied up on a bed in one of the tavern's rooms.

"I'm not telling you anything, you lying whore," insulted Thomas, despite Sarah's young age; she was barely fourteen.

"Not the answer I was looking for," and she swiftly pistol-whipped him. Thomas screamed with pain, but no rescue was coming to help him.

"All right, all right! I stole it from this merchant, I don't remember where or who. And I spent them at this brothel on Nassau before it got attacked by the _Black Pearl_," answered Thomas.

"Thank you for your corporation, I will leave the East India Trading Co. to deal with the punishment for your crimes," and Sarah opened the door to let Mercer and his men do their job.

Sarah quickly left the tavern and got into a carriage. "It's confirmed. Barbossa is the one behind the attacks, I think he realized too late about the curse." said Sarah.

"And Jack Sparrow?" asked Beckett.

"I'm not sure, but I guess mutiny by Barbossa. Jack Sparrow's and the _Black Pearl_'s movements are not connected at all."

"Fine then. We'll deal with Barbossa later on, preferably when he is able to killed," said Beckett.

The scene changed to Sarah's thirteenth birthday. She had a formal birthday party with the usual participants being those from the wealthiest families of England. After all those years, the tradition hardly changed, the same bland presents, guests, and conversations. Probably the only thing that changed was that she had to deal with the attentions of the opposite sex now.

"You know, Ms. Beckett, you are considered one of the finest young ladies I have ever met," praised Andrew Rothford.

"Yes, and my father's rank and money has nothing to do with your new-found attentions towards me," retorted Sarah. That alone silenced Rothford, _he sounded like he was reading a script from his mother about how to attract mariageable heiresses_...

The charade was finally over and Sarah headed to retire for her room immediately after the party. "Happy Birthday indeed," she remarked. She spent a few hours reading until someone entered through the door.

"What are you doing?" Sarah whispered in shock. Edward was carrying a bottle of rum as he closed the door shut.

"I picked the lock on your father's liquor cabinet, figured you needed something to erase that dreadful party from your memory," replied Edward.

"You may be a good lock-picker, Hollings, but my father is gonna kill us when he finds out," argued Sarah.

"He won't, it looks like he hasn't touched this in years, I think he has something against rum," and Edward took a swig. "Here," and he handed her the bottle.

Sarah cast a doubtful look, but she took a taste, then she gulped down some more rum. Soon the two of them finished the whole bottle, and there was no doubt the two teenagers were drunk.

"Yo, ho, haul together, hoist the colors high. Heave ho, thieves and beggars, never shall we die,"she sang. Sarah collapsed onto her bed and started giggling.

"Who's the queen mentioned in that song, Sari?" babbled Edward.

"I have no idea, I don't even know where I heard that song," Sarah hiccuped and started giggling again.

"If I had any doubts that she's your daughter, they would have been erased," remarked Elizabeth to Jack.

"Well I hold my liquor better, she probably got the giggling from her mother," replied Jack.

The two of them fell asleep, and a few seconds into the memory, it was now morning. Sarah's maid, Louisa, entered and saw the couple and the bottle of rum.

"What in blazes did you two do last night?" she interrogated.

Sarah and Edward responded in moans and groans as they woke up hungover. "There was a bottle of rum..." began Sarah.

"Never mind, I don't want to know, your father is testing you in shooting in one hour," Louisa stated.

"Bloody hell, I don't think this headache will go away in an hour," Sarah began rubbing her temple.

"There are consequences to the consumption of alcohol, Sarah."lectured Louisa. "Now you go get dressed and I will return to help you after I escort Edward out." She led Edward out of her room, and closed the door. Sarah tip-toed to the door and listened in on their conversation.

"As fond as I am of the two of you together, you know the risks of this kind of behavior," warned Louisa.

"I know, it won't happen again, you know I wouldn't do anything to hurt her, Louisa," replied Edward.

"Of course I know that, but you know her father... whipsered Louisa. She sighed, " I've been with Sarah almost her whole life, she's improved quite considerably because of you. She was like a minature version of Cutter Beckett before you, and now I would treat her like my own family."

"I don't think she was or ever would be like Beckett," declared Edward.

They started walking away from the door, and Sarah opened her wardrobe and started undressing so Louisa wouldn't be suspicious. Louisa never talked like that around her, for obvious reasons, but Sarah didn't hold it against her. Beckett and Edward never disguised their ill will towards each other, and sometimes Sarah felt like one day she would have to choose between them.

Louisa came back and helped her finishing getting ready. At her behest, Sarah drank several glasses of rosewater to cover her breath. Despite her hangover, Sarah achieved all bullseyes on the targets with her pistol. Beckett congratulated her and sent her on her way. Will and Elizabeth opened their mouths in surprise.

"And that... she inherited from me," commented Jack.

"Perfect as usual, I believe?" inquired Edward.

"Of course," and she promptly collapsed into his arms, dead asleep. Louisa rushed to take her, but Edward held on to her and carried her to her room to sleep it off.

The next memory was a few years back, when Sarah was ten. It was winter again and Sarah was with a group of other children ice-skating. Edward was fumbling a bit and fell down several times, to the other children's laughter.

"Say, Sarah, your errand boy cannot manage to remain standing," mocked Harriet Enfield.

"He just needs practice," Sarah merely responded, and began skating circles around her, much to Harriet's annoyance.

"Not everyone is perfect like you, Beckett," countered Harriet.

At that moment, the ice started cracking and Sarah fell into the water.

"Someone, call a servant!" yelled Thomas Crawford as the children started panicking.

Edward was shocked by their ineptitude and promptly dove into the lake. In a couple of minutes, he returned to the surface with Sarah who started coughing out water.

"That's amazing, the lake's at least 25 feet under and you hardly seem unaffected," complimented Francis Bertam.

"Never mind that, we got to get her indoors before she freezes to death," ordered Edward.

"I can walk," said Sarah as Edward tried to lift her up.

"You almost drowned to death, I'm not taking any chances," said Edward and quickly carried her.

"Thank you," she whispered.

They went deeper into Sarah's childhood, and now she was barely seven, around the time Edward arrived into her household.

"Miss Beckett, this is Edward Hollings, he is your father's ward," introduced a younger Louisa.

"Hmmph," and Sarah turned her heels and walked the other way.

"I'll show you to your room then..." said an exasperated Louisa.

The scene changed again and Sarah was walking alone in the woods.

"Hollins! Where are you?" yelled Sarah. There was no answer and Sarah marked another tree with her pocket knife to create a guideline for her way back. "That stupid boy... who runs away near the beginning of winter..." but she stopped her train of thought when she heard some rustling. Sarah raised her little knife in defense and walked towards the sound.

"AAHHH!" screamed Edward and Sarah.

"What are you doing here?" yelled Sarah.

"Me? You're the one carrying a knife," argued Edward.

"I have wasted my time tracking you down. Everyone's looking for you know. They think my father was responsible for your father's death so if we lose you, that wouldn't be good for our family image,"answered Sarah.

"Well if I'm such a waste of time, why did you go looking for me? You have servants to do your dirty work for you..." Edward was interrupted by the sound of his growling stomach. He didn't think through his plan to run away from the Beckett household throughly enough.

"Here," and Sarah tossed him an apple she carried in her cloak.

"Thanks," and he ate in silence while Sarah was awkwardly standing there, trying to decide what to do now that her objective was accomplished.

"I felt somewhat responsible for your disappearance since apparently I didn't treat you fairly, according to the servants' gossip...," Sarah explained.

"What do you care? The staff talks about your father and he still treats them just the same. Besides my father died in battle, so you don't need to go feeling guilty even if you only care about your family image," replied Edward.

"That's not true!" and Sarah prepared to show Edward, but he caught her by the wrist. "Ow!"

"What the...," and Edward unrolled her sleeve to see several bruises on Sarah's arms. "Where did those come from?' he demanded.

"Nothing, it's none of your business, weren't you preparing to run away now?" she said, yanking her arm from his grip and trying to hold back her tears.

For the first time ever, Edward didn't see the ice princess she pretended to be, but merely the scared, lonely little girl she really was. There was genuine fear in her eyes, but she was trying to put up a brave front for him.

"I changed my mind, I'll go back with you," and he walked up to her, waiting for directions. "So how do we find our way back?"

"I marked the trees, that's why I carried the knife," answered Sarah.

"Really clever," he complimented.

"Thank you, Edward," she replied.

He stopped for a moment,"You called me by my actual name, not 'Boy' or some other insult," he said in shock.

"Hurry up, we could make it back before nightfall if you weren't so slow," she replied, pretending to ignore his comment.

Jack, Will, and Elizabeth now appeared before a beach. This was probably one of Sarah's earliest memories since it was obvious they were in the Caribbean, and not England anymore.

Sarah was a little girl again, barely a toddler, and she was swimming in the ocean. "Papa, I'm swimming, I'm swimming!" she giggled. This time, the man holding her was clearly seen as a younger Jack Sparrow.

"Took to the water like a dolphin," reminisced Jack. He looked towards Mei Lin, beautiful and smiling at her little family. Jack felt his heart slightly tear seeing her like that again.

Suddenly the memory they were in landed in pitch darkness. And all they could hear was someone screaming nearby.


	16. Bloodties

**Bloodties**

**Mei Lin's Murder**

Jack, Will, and Elizabeth were blinded by a flash of light momentarily when they saw the scene before them. Mercer, looking as malevolent as ever, grabbed a three-year old Sarah out from the closet. Mei Lin was on the ground covered in blood while being pinned by a grungy-looking man with a nasty cut on his cheek. A group of men laid dead in the house because of Mei Lin's sword, which was now just out of reach from her.

"Ah, here's the little bastard right now," smirked a younger Beckett.

"Keep your filthy hands off Sarah," threatened Mei Lin.

"Hmm… shame if I have to kill her, she looks so much more like you instead of Jack," observed Beckett. "You know, it was a quite a challenge finding you, Mei Lin, I had to resort to hiring mercenaries. Not exactly my cup of tea, but it gets the job done."

"Leave her out of this, Cutler. Your business is with me and Jack, not Sarah," argued Mei Lin.

"On the contrary, Mei Lin, my lovely wife," he leered at her, "Sarah is the one I'm after."

"OW! The filthy bugger bit me!" yelped Mercer. He let go of Sarah who promptly stomped on Beckett's foot and kicked Mei Lin's sword within reach.

Mei Lin stabbed the mercenary in the leg, quickly grabbed Sarah, and ran for the door. Unfortunately, Beckett was prepared and Mei Lin was surrounded by the rest of his mercenaries.

"Now if you won't go quietly, we have other options… Dr. Hollings!" he called out.

Elizabeth gasped in shock as they saw a young man with light brown hair and the same hazel eyes as Edward. "Yes, Lord Beckett?" he asked grimly.

"Sedate them, we'll need to keep them quiet on our journey back to England," ordered Beckett.

"But sir, she's your wife and the little one is just a child…" Edmund Hollings began.

"NOW!" he commanded.

"As you wish… but it'll take some time for me to prepare the injections," Edmund stated.

"Fine then, we'll begin burning the house now," he ordered the rest of the men. "Keep Wendell with you, we don't want them slipping away from us again," he told Hollings.

They were left alone outside with Wendell keeping a close distance to keep tabs on Mei Lin and Sarah.

"Please don't do this to us," pleaded Mei Lin as Hollings filled a syringe with a sedative.

"When I give you the cue, run as fast as you can, there's a boat on the beach. It's the only chance you and your daughter have of escaping," whispered Edmund. Mei Lin merely nodded so as not to arouse Wendell's suspicions. "I have a son myself, he's a little older than your daughter… His mother named him Edward, I suppose after me… since he's practically my spitting image according to my parents." explained Edmund Hollings. "Ok now!" and he jammed the syringe into Wendall's arm.

"Thank you," said Mei Lin before she started running.

Beckett and his men arrived at the scene and Mei Lin and Sarah saw what had transpired. Mercer shot Hollings in the leg before he could escape.

"You know the penalty for treason, Hollings," hinted Beckett.

"Better to do the right thing than follow orders from you, Beckett," answered Hollings.

Mei Lin cried out in shock when Mercer shot Hollings, but she knew she had to save herself and her daughter first.

Lead balls were flying through the air, but Mei Lin wasn't fast enough when she reached the beach. She let out a gasp as she collapsed onto the ground and she was now bleeding. A group of unsavory men dressed in ragged clothes were quickly approaching them. Mei Lin tried to protect her daughter as she wrapped her tightly in her arms. The men surrounded her and snatched Sarah from her.

"NO!, Let her go, she is innocent!" Mei Lin shouted, tears streaming down her face.

"Mei Lin… Sarah..," but Jack knew it was too late to change the past.

"You knew what would've happened if you tried to cross me, Mei Lin… so tell me, where's your beloved Jack?" asked Beckett.

"Out of your jurisdiction and out of your reach," and Mei Lin spat at Beckett's face.

"Any last words?" said Beckett.

"If I had the chance, I would do it all over again, even if I had to marry you, which was the worst mistake of my life," declared Mei Lin.

Beckett aimed the pistol at her chest, and Mei Lin tried to put up a brave front for Sarah. She didn't want her daughter's last image of her mother to be her cowering in fear of this man. Beckett pulled the trigger and ended Mei Lin's life.

"MAMA!" screamed Sarah.

"Can someone please silence the brat?" ordered Beckett.

Mercer brought out another syringe and filled it with leftover sedative from Holling's body. As soon as he injected her with it, Sarah was knocked out within a few seconds.

"Sarah!" called out Jack, and suddenly they were transported back on the sands where Jack was trapped in the Locker earlier.

"Where were you when we needed you… was having your precious _Pearl_ worth our lives?" demanded a voice.

They turned around and saw Sarah from the present-day, tears streaming down her face.

"Sarah, I came back as soon as I could, if I had known earlier…" said Jack.

"He drugged and sedated me and abused me for years before I was even able to retain memories… How many lives had to be destroyed before you got what you wanted? Mum's? Mines? Edward and his father's?" debated Sarah.

"It wasn't Jack's fault, Beckett is the one who is destroying our world," argued Will.

"Your world now, not mines…" she answered.

Jack, Will, and Elizabeth began disappearing, "Wait, Sarah, don't do this," pleaded Jack.

"Get out now..." she replied coldly.

**Awakening **

Jack let out a gasp and woke up to find himself back on the _Pearl_. "Sarah…" and he saw his daughter becoming grayer and slowly disappearing. Elizabeth and Will awoke as well and observed what happened.

"All those memories and all that pain… we still have nothing for her to live for now," remarked Elizabeth.

"There's always something… Tia Dalma, that's my daughter, you kept her survival a secret from me long enough, you owe me this much," attested Jack.

"I said if you couldn't find the answer, there nothing you could do for her… I, on the other hand, have a reason…" and Tia Dalma approached the unconscious Sarah.

"Edward still lives… he is in the world of the living, searching for you… Sarah Sparrow," she whispered. Her words had a miraculous effect; Sarah rematerialized and regained her color.

"Edward…" Sarah answered and opened her eyes. She tried to get up, but instantly collapsed before Jack caught her in time. She was quietly sobbing in his arms before she fell asleep.

"Will she be all right?" inquired Jack.

"Her body, yes, her heart will take some time," replied Tia Dalma.

Jack looked at his daughter, and felt his own heart breaking when he realized he didn't have a reason for Sarah to live on. Not for him, not for her mother's sacrifice, not even for vengeance against Beckett. It was love for that boy, and Jack wondered if he would lose Sarah all over again because of him once they escaped from the Locker.

**Bloodlines**

When Sarah awoke, it was now morning, and she was slightly surprised seeing Tia Dalma by her bedside.

"How you feel?" inquired Tia Dalma.

"Fine, I suppose, considering I was near death," retorted Sarah. "You… you weren't lying last night, were you? About Edward being alive?"

"No, I was telling the truth," confirmed Tia Dalma.

"How… how do you know for sure? Not that I doubt your abilities," Sarah explained. "It's just that you only recently informed my father that I was actually alive…"

"Because I did not know you were alive till a little before I told your father."

"Wait what?" Sarah was getting confused.

Tia Dalma smiled and started walking around the room. "You, Sarah Sparrow… you and I are alike in many ways…"

Sarah noticed her clutching her locket. "You, Tia Dalma,… or Calypso?"

She smirked at the observant girl, "Calypso… a woman, as changing and harsh and untamable as the sea… You have survived through much, hmm? But not without many scars. You learned not to feel, not to care, not to have mercy, and yet you still fell in love with him."

Sarah stared at her, "Why do you know so much about us? And don't tell me it's because of your mystic powers, you're hiding something."

Tia Dalma sat back down and clutched Sarah's hand. "Davy Jones come ashore for one day after ten years…to be with her… but she did not wait for him. He did not know she was pregnant with his child: a half-goddess, half-mortal…"

"You had a daughter?" Sarah couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Her I gave birth to and I felt no love. She grow older and left me soon to live with the sirens. But when you are descended from the gods…" she glared at Sarah. "You never truly free from that. I feel it when she got pregnant. I find her and know she lay with a mortal man. Her child was a boy, no danger to me. Bloodline from a goddess go down only to females…The males only receive a tiny bit, hardly noticeable…"

"Edward…" Sarah guessed.

"I tell her to leave the child with his father. No place for him among this world, and she follow my orders. I warn her again not to have a child or my wrath would come to her," told Tia Dalma.

"And when I got pregnant…" began Sarah.

"I feel it again, but I sense it in England. I come and I find you…You look like your mother, no doubt you were Jack's daughter."

"Edward is your grandson… his swimming… his temper… I cannot believe it," said Sarah.

"Can you, hmm? Sarah Sparrow, daughter of two bloodlines of pirates, descended from the First Brethren Court. A rarity in this world… like Edward… Would you not love him anymore if you knew, hmm?"

"No! I did and will always love him!" declared Sarah.

"You father say about your mother… loyal to a fault to those she love… like you. Not like me, I leave Davy Jones when he waited, and him became a monster, my nature not allow me to wait. Same thing could had happened to Edward." claimed Tia Dalma.

"How? Edward becoming like Davy Jones? Impossible, a cold-hearted monster like that, Edward is warm, loving, kind…" argued Sarah.

"Because of you," answered Tia Dalma. "You could be Beckett's daughter, treat him cruelly, toss his love away. He the descendant of Davy Jones and Calypso, his darkest nature unleashed upon the world. But you save him from that."

"I prefer to say that he saved me, in every way possible…" reflected Sarah. "Our baby… it was a boy wasn't it? If it was a girl, it would've survived…"

"Yes, no mortal child survive with what you go through," answered Tia Dalma.

"You needed Barbossa and my father for their Pieces of Eight. I suppose I should thank you for helping me, even if you had your own motives. I will keep your secret, Tia Dalma." replied Sarah.

"You are welcome, though not only because you are my Edward's love, hmm?" she smiled.


	17. Mei Lin's Story Part 1

**Mei Lin's Story**

Looking back, I regretted not saying no to them. To my father, my brother, and Beckett…I said no to Jack those first few times, and then no to Teague, who wanted me and Jack to leave Sarah in his care at Shipwreck City. That last moment when I could've said yes changed not just my destiny, but the entire world's. Jack gave me Sarah, love, and a life. Beckett never had my love and took my daughter and my life instead.

My mother died shortly after I was born, but my father raised me not as a daughter, but as a second son. I think the pain of seeing me, the spitting image of my mother, was too much for him so he sought to avoid having those memories. Like my mother and Sarah after me, I inherited the same distinct sapphire eyes of the women of the Feng family. Father and Sao trained me as a pirate, to become the successor for the Pirate Lord of the South China Sea should my brother fall. In the background, I was merely a porcelain doll to those not close to my family. It helped give me some freedom in my otherwise dull life. After my father died and passed his position to my brother, I was left home to deal with the politics while Sao attacked the trading routes from Europe to Asia. I learned English easily enough, and my accent was less noticeable than my brother's.

I remember the day I met Jack like it was yesterday, I caught him trying to steal my uncle's navigational charts from his temple.

"If you want me to spare your life, thief, I suggest unhanding those charts," I warned. I had confidence in my sword-wielding skills, but I didn't count on his trickery.

"Well now, love, I'm afraid I need to take a quick look at these charts, and I'll hand them back to your lovely capable hands in just a quick minute…" said Jack.

I moved my blade towards his throat, "Hand me the charts, now," I emphasized. He did what he was told, but when I reached for them, he grabbed my hand, and pulled me towards him.

"Did anyone ever mention you have the most lovely eyes I've ever seen?" and he promptly kissed me.

I quickly shoved him away, but he was gone in an instant, with the charts.

"COME BACK NOW COWARD!" I yelled and I gave chase. I followed him to the marketplace and jumped over stalls to catch up to him. I lost track of him and I scanned the marketplace until someone threw a bag of cinnamon powder over me. My eyes watered and I started sneezing, "Sorry, love, I offer you my condolences," I heard him say before he ran away again.

I recovered and headed for the edge of the harbor, since I knew he would try to make a quick getaway. I felt a pit in my stomach when I saw my brother holding him by the scruff of his neck, with the charts in his hand. His crew tried to stifle their chuckles when they saw me, a mess covered in cinnamon walk towards them.

"Mei Lin, explain to your brother why you tried to fight off a thief by yourself instead of calling for help?" he scolded.

I bowed my head, "Dui bu qui, ge ge," I apologized. **(I am sorry, brother)**

"In my regards to this fair maiden, who I assure you Sao Feng, that I was unaware was your sister…" he coughed, "She did trap me in a corner several times."

"You will keep silence, Jack Sparrow!" yelled Sao.

I flinched inwardly at his name, Jack Sparrow… his father was the Keeper of the Code at Shipwreck City. I heard stories about the runaway and his adventures from people coming and going from Singapore.

"Lock him in the dungeons until I decide what to with him," my brother ordered. Jack stared at me while my brother's men took him away, but I ignored his gaze. I was left alone to deal with my brother.

"Aiyah, mei-mei **(little sister)**, what am I to do with you?" Sao implored.

"Don't call me that!" I snapped. "I'm not a child anymore, father raised me to succeed you someday, Sao."

"And he raised me to protect you at all times." he countered. "There are things in this world that you do not understand. Things that can harm you."

"Please do not start on that stupid prophecy…" I begged. "So who cares if some fortune teller translated some ripples on pond water, it has nothing to do with me."

"It has everything to do with you, you are the last female in our family, and the prophecy stated that you could have a child that would help man control the seas."

"I am fully aware of that, I haven't had contact with anyone within my age because of that…" I muttered.

"You will hold your tongue, and show some respect to your elders," my brother ordered.

"That prophecy was made all the way back to the First Brethren Court and nothing has changed…," I stopped. I knew the trick to end my suffering before I dug myself into a deeper hole with my brother. I started to make my lips quiver and turned my face into a pout, making sure my brother could see the tears forming in my eyes. "It's just that I'm so alone in this world, ge ge," I cried through my crocodile tears. That pulled on the heartstrings of my brother, one of the most feared pirates in the Orient.

"Mei Lin, please calm down, let's get you back to your room quickly," and he led me back home, making sure not to say anything that would upset me.

In the bathhouse, I had my own private room to bathe in away from my brother's usual customers. After my attendants mixed in the salts and herbs in the bathwater, I sent them away so I could have a moment of peace. The cinnamon powder washed off of me and I actually liked the spicy scent it created in the room. I could hear faint noises coming from the rest of the bathhouse, but I merely ignored it. With your brother being a Pirate Lord, it was not surprising for him to have "diplomatic" visits often. Suddenly my door was unlocked, and who came in, but none other than Jack Sparrow. He quickly closed the door and fell back against it, with my uncle's charts once again in hand.

I don't know who was more surprised at seeing the other in the room. Obviously I was infuriated that my foe was invading my privacy, and I didn't bother guessing what Jack was thinking at seeing me practically half-naked. "Get out," I greeted him coldly.

"Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot this morning, Mei Lin is it? Obviously I didn't catch your name fully what with your brother being there…" his eyes started roaming at me.

"My face is up here, Mr. Sparrow," I stated.

"Are you actually wearing anything down there..." he posed.

I sighed in disgust and got out of the water, wearing my towel and my sword in hand. "Get out… now," I reiterated.

"You know the smell of cinnamon is actually quite lovely on you…"he complimented.

Right at that moment, my brother and his men burst in at the door. The sight of me, wearing nothing but a towel with my sword pointed at Jack Sparrow sent my brother over the edge.

"YOU DARE GO NEAR MY SISTER AGAIN! I WILL BRING YOU BACK TO SHIPWRECK CITY IN PIECES, JACK SPARROW!" declared Sao. I knew exactly which piece of Jack Sparrow my brother would start with first.

It was good thing for Jack that he thought fast on his feet, he pulled the lever in the room, and steam blanketed the room. When it cleared up, he was gone. I was actually marveling at the fact that he had a talent for escaping so easily. I pretended to be in shock from the indecency I was subjected to by Jack Sparrow and avoided another lecture from my brother.

Sao placed the harbor under lock and key, no one could come in or out without his approval. Everyone in Singapore knew they wouldn't cross my brother for Jack Sparrow. We heard rumors of him in the marketplace, the brothels, the trading posts, and everywhere else but my brother's searches proved fruitless. Life continued on as usual, and I wondered if someday I could embark on a life of my own. That stupid ancient prophecy merely stated that a daughter would be born into my family and would bring the power of the seas to man; it was foretold generations ago, and yet my life was dictated by it.

I starred at the stars from the only window in my room, not being able to fall asleep. I was trying to discern all the different constellations when Jack Sparrow's face abruptly appeared. He started tapping at my window, signaling me for him to let him in. I don't why I did it, maybe I thought I was dreaming, but I knew my life was changing course when I let him in. Fortunately this time I was properly dressed, and I was exasperated that he still carried those charts with him. "What do you want, Sparrow?" I asked.

"Actually, I should ask you, what do you want?" He swung a black compass in front of me and then tossed it. I opened it up, but the compass didn't north, it pointed to Jack instead.

"It's either broken or you use it as a trick on women," I commented.

"No, love, my compass is one-of-a-kind, it points to what its user wants most," he explained.

"Right, and I want you," and I rolled my eyes at my ludicrous translation.

"Well, the heart wants what the heart wants, it may be possibly be me, but I think…" he put his arm around my shoulder, I shrugged it off, "what you want most is freedom, Mei." The look of wanderlust in my eyes probably gave my emotions away and he continued on. "Spent your whole life in Singapore underneath your family's watch, being part of the family business, you want a life of your own. Free from any responsibility, you want to do whatever you want because you feel like it."

"You mean, a life like yours," I retorted. "Well unfortunately, Mr. Sparrow, it looks like you will remain in Singapore indefinitely because of my brother."

"Ah, but you see, we both want the same thing. You have the means of providing a plan of escape for us, and I could keep you hidden away from your brother," he tempted.

I dwelled on his offer for a moment, I imagined sailing the seas, traveling to distant places, but I placed myself back in reality. "Thank you, but no, unlike you, Sparrow, I have a sense of duty to the ones I love. You may take your leave now." I proceeded to push him away towards the window.

"Sleep on it, love," and he went quietly into the night.

My brother's troubles only increased with the arrival of the East India Trading Co., and while they did not have the power to overthrow Sao, we kept a careful watch over their activities and tried to keep up a somewhat amicable relationship. They were trying to undermine Sao's authority in Singapore, and their worldwide connections proved to be a threat. One of the lieutenants that my brother often kept in contact with was none other than Cutler Beckett. As usual, I would stand by my brother's side and despite the many glances I receive from other men, Beckett's worried me the most.

On the rare occasion that I was allowed to leave the bathhouse, I noticed the increased number of men working for the Company hovering around Singapore. I tried to merely ignore their presence, but Beckett shattered whatever peace I had left in my life.

"Miss Feng," I turned around to see him in his Company uniform, stern as ever. "May I escort you back to your home?"

I merely nodded and allowed him to walk beside me. I figured it was better not to be rude to him for my brother's sake. We arrived at the marketplace, but Beckett then clasped my hand unexpectedly; his touch was so cold and lifeless so I pulled my hand away from him. There was an angry glare upon his face, but then a firecracker popped at his feet. One firecracker after another came after him, and Beckett was dancing some kind of a jig. I barely stifled my giggles when someone in a cloak pulled me away into the crowd. I was so glad to be away from Beckett's company, I didn't realize who my mysterious savior was.

"You know, you really shouldn't be around people like his kind," mentioned Jack as he pulled his cloak away.

"Right, and you're the kind of person I should be with instead," I retorted. Of course of all the people in Singapore, I ended up with Jack Sparrow.

"Believe me love, I'm much more fun than he is," he smirked.

"I suppose I should thank you, but I must head back to the bathhouse. I believe Sao will have another lecture prepared for me," I muttered.

Before I took a step forward, he grabbed my hand, "Stay away from him, Mei Lin, he is more dangerous than you think."

I gave him a confused look, but then I realized I let him hold my hand a moment too long and shook it away, "I can take of myself, thank you very much. Worry about your own misfortune, Sparrow, my brother still has you on lockdown in Singapore."

When I arrived back home, my brother ranted at me about running away with a disguised stranger and how I could have been harmed.

"I believe I was more in danger with Beckett than with anyone else," I countered.

"If he touches you again, you go to me. Coming onto my territory is one thing, but my sister… WO SAI SI LE TA! **(I will kill him!)**" he declared.

"Why is he hovering around me anyways, ge ge?" I questioned.

Sao hesitated on that, but shrugged it off, "It is nothing you need to worry about, I will take care of it." It was then I realized Jack's warning was not without grounds.

I continued being "escorted" by Beckett whenever I went out, but he didn't proceed to overstep his boundaries like he did before, perhaps because of my brother's warnings. His gazes at me though still unnerved me. _He looks at me like I'm a prize he aims to steal…_

I sat on my bed staring at the night sky once again while brushing my hair. Again I imagined what it would be like to run away from everything: Singapore, my brother, Beckett, the East India Trading Co, but I shoved those thoughts away. _No, it is not my right to be this selfish to follow my desires, I have a duty..._ If only then I had the strength to follow my heart… beneath my exterior was a little girl scared of what the outside world would be. I thank the heavens that Sarah did not follow my path, she defied those who sought to control her, in that way she is more Jack's daughter than mines.

I was lost in my own little fantasy world when who else but Jack Sparrow tapped on my window once again. He had an annoying habit of appearing whenever my resolve was dissipating so I let him in against my better judgment again. "If you think I've changed my mind, leave my room at once," I declared.

"No, but I have another proposition," he threw my uncle's charts at me.

"You have no idea of the concept behind bargaining, do you?" I posed, he just tossed his only bargaining chip at me.

"These charts were the reason you came after me, among other things like my charm and wit," he smiled. "However I have no idea on how to use these mystical charts. They only offer me maddening messages whenever I play around with them. I thought to myself who better to help me than a member of the family I stole them from?"

"And why should I help you? Also, I've heard of the so-called romances you've had over the years. Your former flames don't exactly paint a lovely picture of you," I countered.

He waved away my remark and continued, "Look, if you lead me to the Fountain of Youth, I will give back your charts, and this whole mess between us will finally be resolved once your brother will set me free. I doubt he wants me to stick around Singapore for long. "

"You'll give them back just like that?" It seemed too good to be true.

"Just like that." He brought out his hand. "Do we have an accord?"

I shook his hand, "Fine, but any trickery from you Jack Sparrow, and I will be the one cutting you to pieces, not my brother."

Over the past few nights, he visited me while we tried to decipher the charts. As much as I hated to admit it, Jack was actually good company for me. With my brother's restrictions, I couldn't talk with anyone as freely as I did with Jack. Finally we hit the breaking point when a picture of a skull holding a goblet appeared on the map. "Agua de Vida" it read.

"There you are, and these charts are going back to my uncle's temple first thing in the morning." I smiled at our success, but Jack actually looked saddened like he was losing something valuable to him. "What's with you? You got what you wanted, Sparrow."

"Not exactly, love." He opened his compass and the needle pointed straight at… me.

"I don't understand, you wanted to find the Fountain, it should be pointed towards the harbor now. I always wondered why you needed the charts when you had the compass…" I stopped talking when I felt something against my lips. He was kissing me again, the nerve of him! My brain was screaming at me to push him away, but my heart felt something completely different and the next thing I knew he was laying on top on me on my bed. Suddenly visions of the future flashed through my brain: a baby girl crying, gunshots, a ship with black sails, a little girl and a boy in the woods, a chest filled with golden coins, and lastly a beating heart in a chest. None of it made any sense, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. I pushed Jack off of me and started to take quick deep breaths.

"Mei Lin, what's wrong?" Jack's face was lined with concern; apparently I looked like I saw a ghost.

"I don't know… I saw things… they were just images one after another…" I babbled; I was just as confused as he was.

There was a sudden knock on my door," MEI LIN! I have to talk to you now! KAI MEN!" (Open the door) I recognized my brother's voice. It would've taken too much time for Jack to sneak out the window unnoticed and clichéd as it was, I signaled him to hide under my bed.

I opened the door to see my brother in a cold sweat and I saw only fear on his face. Something was terribly wrong to make my brother, one of the most feared Pirate Lords of the world, scared to death.

"Zen me le?" **(What happened?)**, I asked nervously.

My brother started pacing back and forth around my room, "Beckett has made an offer to cease operations in Singapore…"

"That's amazing news…" but I paused when Sao's face turned even grimmer.

"He wants you as his wife and for you to return with him to England… Mei Lin, he's after you, you need to leave Singapore immediately. I will not sacrifice my only sister to that man," he asserted. My brother ordered two servants to begin packing my belongings.

"No, ge ge," I ordered as I slammed shut a suitcase he had just opened. "He is a most ruthless man, he will not stop until he gets what he wants. I will fulfill my duty to father and to you. I will take the sacrifice."

"Mei Lin… are you sure?" as my brother tried to hold back his tears.

I knew my brother would fight to his death if he had to for me, and I could have never held that to my conscience. I would leave everything I knew behind to protect my loved ones. "Draw up the contract."

My brother left me alone in my room to begin the negotiations with Beckett. "I think it's best if you left now before he comes back," I suggested to Jack.

"You should've taken up your brother's offer and flee," he argued.

"Run away like a coward and leave my family behind to die for my selfishness?" I retorted.

"It is selfish of them to expect you to give up everything. For once in your life, Mei Lin, be selfish," he countered.

"This is none of your business anyway," I snapped. "Leave now." I started pushing him towards the window.

"You know, you're the most stubborn person I've ever met," he remarked.

"I could say the same to you." I said before I closed my window.

I wasn't present for most of the negotiations; I couldn't stomach the sight of Beckett as he looked at me, his newest prize to be brought back to England. My brother kept me updated and the contract was quite simple. Me in exchange for the Company to leave Singapore, that was basically it. I had no need to pack, Beckett was constantly chattering on how superior life was in England compared to Singapore. "The latest fashions, technology, architecture, and the people…." I stopped listening before he completed his first sentence every time. I would soon be dragged across oceans and continents to a prison, and I didn't want to waste my last days at home with this horrible man. Sao let me come and go as I pleased, but I didn't find any solace in my fleeting freedom so I spent the days praying in my uncle's temple. I stared at the portraits of my parents as I burned the incense. "Ma ma, ba ba, bang wo…" **(Mother, father, help me…) **I had never asked for anyone's help before then, but I was in utter despair over what my future would be. I remembered that first moment when I should've said no, when I was still a child. It was Chinese New Year and I was dazzled by the fireworks so I snuck off to the bridge to take a closer look. "MEI LIN!" my father screamed. He was a hundred times worse than anything my older brother could do to me when he was angry. "NI ZUO SHEN ME? (What are you doing?) I was so startled by my father that I fell over the edge of the bridge into the water. Ironically, I, the descendant of a long line of pirates, was a poor swimmer, and was lost in the murkiness of the water. I felt my father's hands and he pulled me out. I was coughing out water and my father placed his arms around me when I started crying. "Mei Lin, promise me you will never disobey your family again and always do the right thing for us," he asked. "Dui, ba ba." **(Yes, father) **That was the first time I should've said no. The second was during my father's burial, and my brother and I held each other's hands. "Mei mei, we only have each other now. Promise me what you promised father, that you will do what is best for our family." I had a second chance to say no, but I didn't. I had not reneged on that promise to my father and never planned on doing that to my brother.

It was my last night in Singapore; I was crying myself to sleep in my bedroom when Jack tapped on my window once again. _I thought he had left by now…_ I was about to close my curtains when he brought out the maps. "Ugh of course, he never gave them back to me that night…" I opened the window for him for what I thought was the last time.

"The maps," I ordered, beginning our usual routine, but Jack wasn't playing around this time. He quickly dragged me outside the window and pulled me up on the roof. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" I yelled, but I had to control my volume before anyone spotted us on the roof.

"Helping you regain your life, I managed to trade the charts for safe passage. Your brother posted a hefty reward for them," he answered.

"I don't know whether you're deaf or dumb, but for the last time, I am not leaving with you. I don't understand why you're so adamant about this. I am marrying Beckett." I nearly vomited when I said those words.

"THE COMPASS!" he cried out in exasperation.

"What…?" I honestly thought he was speaking in some pirate code. "You said it pointed to what the user wanted the most."

He smacked his forehead with frustration, "Honestly, and women call men dense… where did it point to when I used it?"

I thought back to that night, "Well you held it out and the needle pointed to me…" Then it hit me, "Oh no, no. DO NOT pull this on me now, Sparrow. If you think I'm running away with you just because you say you're in… in…"

"Love, darling. Wo ai ni." Then he kissed me quickly before I pushed him away.

"No," I emphasized, he brought out the compass again and it pointed to me. "Don't… this decision was hard enough without you added into it."

He handed the compass, "Fine then, no pressure. What do you want most in this world?"

I opened it and like that first time, it pointed to him. "Does it matter?" I asked. "You should know this proverb, Jack: You can't always get what you want." I began climbing down towards my window, but he followed me back.

"One night then, if that's the only time we have left together, then that's all I ask. Say one word, and I'll leave."

I answered him with a kiss, and just for that one night, it was only the two of us. No thoughts of the past or the future, just what was happening then and there. I awoke the next morning alone, the window was closed, but I saw lying on the floor were the charts. "Xie xie **(Thank you)**" I whispered. I quickly got dressed and handed the charts to my brother who was in shock. "Lift the order against Jack."

"Fine then… you do know what day it is, mei mei?" he posed.

I hugged my brother for the last time, "I know ge ge."

He gripped me tightly, "If there was any other way…"

"Don't, this is what's best for our family." I knew we were both thinking of that promise I made long ago, but it was too late to change the past.

I came aboard the ship that would take me away from home and waved good-bye to everyone I knew. I gave a farewell kiss to my brother and we quickly left Singapore.

"You will be much happier once we arrive, Mei," prompted Beckett.

"All right, then" I answered in a hoarse voice. He left me alone, seeing as how the less time we spent together, the better it was for me. Despite myself, I thought about Jack and wondered what he was doing now. I now know a funny thing about destiny, it always has a way of catching up to you.


	18. Mei Lin's Story Part 2

**Mei Lin's Story (continued)**

Miserable, that pretty much summed up my entire life with Beckett. Being married to him only worsened my opinion; I quickly discovered after the wedding that he knew about my family's prophecy. "You give me our promised child, and I will not make your life a living hell, dearest," he muttered as we walked down the aisle. Well, that ship had already sailed.

After Jack, any other man paled in comparison, the mere thought of Beckett even touching me gave me chills. Fortunately, England's climate didn't agree with me and I did nothing to improve my condition. I spent months on end in isolation and on bed rest while barely eating enough to get me through the day.

I heard rumors in the household about some rogue captain who recently began working for my so-called husband. At first, I thought the servants were bored and had nothing to do but gossip about mundane things. Then I heard his name, "What does he call himself again?" "The Captain Jack Sparrow, as if he was an admiral for the King's Navy instead of the captain of the _Wicked Wench_, an unimpressive ship, but very speedy from what I heard." _Jack Sparrow, what are you up to now? _

Walking in the streets of London only isolated me further, to everyone else, I was a foreign stranger, the wife sold to Beckett. The high society Beckett and by extension, I, belonged to were the most shallow people I ever met. All their talk and etiquette distracted them from the emptiness in their lives, of course I couldn't voice my opinions in Beckett's presence, and they assumed I didn't know English.

"Lovely wife you got there, Cutler, shame she's such a sickly thing. Too bad you didn't go back to Singapore and make an exchange," they joked. I merely smiled at their laughter, then proceeded to "accidently" stomp them on their foot. "OUCH!" "Oh, so so sorray," I apologized, with the worst accent I could pull off. I could not wait to head back to my room and slammed the doors behind me. Suddenly a pair of hands covered my mouth; my instant reaction was to kick them on the shin. "Ouch! I find you after almost a year, and this is the welcome I get?" asked Jack.

"Jack!" I immediately kissed him.

"Much better, love, you look ghastly though."

"And that's the kind of welcome I get?" I replied.

"I blame Beckett for that, working for him has been unbearable, can't imagine being married to him would be like…"

"Then why are you here?" I asked.

"To rescue you, Mei," and he held my hand.

"Jack… he'll kill both of us, not to mention my brother if I ever tried to leave him," I reasoned.

"Well then, looks like I'll be sticking around here until the opportune moment," he answered. "So… how long do we have to be together before your lawful husband discovers me?"

"All night, I've been sleeping alone all this time being sick and him working, but I know you wouldn't take advantage of me like that…" I teased.

"Not without your permission, my lady," he smiled.

"Well then…" I whispered, "You have my permission," then we continued right where we had left off in Singapore. We became lovers, it was our little secret, but sooner or later, the truth reveals itself. I was pregnant with Jack's child, and I had to flee before it was too late. Jack was branded a pirate for refusing to transport slaves, and his ship was destroyed. We fled on a merchant ship to the Caribbean, it was raining that day in September, and I remember Sarah's birth: childbirth was horrendously painful, but when I held Sarah in my arms, it was all worth it. Her beautiful sapphire eyes were like mines, she would grow up to be quite a beauty. Jack denied it, but I could tell he worried about repelling unwanted men away from his little daughter. "I don't care if the sea itself in human form was after her, no one is stealing her away from us."

We stayed in Shipwreck City for a couple of months of Sarah's infancy. Teague welcomed his little granddaughter with open arms, but father and son remained distant. Jack wanted to leave as soon as possible and on the day of our departure, Teague stopped us. "Jack, you're a wanted fugitive, and Mei Lin, Beckett is your husband and he will not stop till he captures you. Do either of you think that's the best life for Sarah?"

"We're her parents, you don't get to decide what's best for Sarah," Jack argued.

"Mei Lin, maybe you could be the reasonable one. Sarah would be safe here, you know it," he reasoned.

I could've said yes, there were so many reasons for me to say yes. There were still doubts in my mind that Jack and I could raise a child together, we were so young. Beyond that, Sarah was no ordinary child, she was the prophetic child of my family, I could sense that. Beckett would go after her, the tool he needed to conquer the seas.

But I said no, as safe as Sarah was, growing up imprisoned in Shipwreck City was no life for her. She was our child, which meant freedom was one of the things she needed the most. I still had hope that we would survive this, all three of us together. Little did I know that the chains of events were set for Sarah to fulfill the prophecy.

"I'm sorry, Teague, Jack's right. We know what's best for her."

"Fine then," replied Teague. He let out a sigh of disappointment, "Promise me that at least you'll visit Tia Dalma first before you decide anything."

"But why…" Jack interrupted me though.

"We will, maybe we'll finally get some answers from her since you've still been keeping secrets from me all this time."

I only heard of Tia Dalma, the voodoo queen of the Caribbean, and what I heard gave me reason enough to fear her. We stopped by Tortuga and managed to gain passage to the island, apparently the ship had some business on the other side of the island, Jack was mum on the details. We floated down the river in a tiny boat before we approached the shack. Jack tied the boat while I stared at the lights inside. _I wonder if the rumors about her powers are true… _Jack opened the door, and she was there waiting, staring at a handful of crab shells.

"Jack Sparrow," she smiled and gave him a hug. "And Mei Lin Feng, ah you have a little one." Instinctively I drew Sarah closer to me, "No need to fear me, I am at your humble service."

"My father sent us, you have something to tell us concerning our daughter…" began Jack.

"Ah, yes, but I am sure Mei Lin has told you, hmm?" Jack looked at me suspiciously, "Maybe not, leave us for the moment, Jack."

Jack waited outside the door while I was left alone with her. "Hand the little one," she requested.

"Sarah, her name is Sarah," I explained as I let her hold my child.

"Sarah Sparrow…" she mused. "She has your eyes, like those in your family before her, but you think she is the special one…from the prophecy, hmm?"

"You know about it?" I asked, besides Beckett, I thought it was a family secret.

"Told from the time of the First Brethren Court, only few know of it. But now, you are in danger because of Beckett."

"Yes, we all are… Tia Dalma, will we survive through this?" I asked the one question that was plaguing me.

She handed Sarah back to me, "A touch of destiny…" she tossed her crab shells onto the table. I couldn't interpret their meaning, but Tia Dalma gave me a grave look. "No… not all of you will survive. How sure are you that Sarah is the one? Your brother could have a daughter of his own, the child might not even exist until years later."

"A mother knows," I answered. "Will Sarah live?" I asked, holding back the tears as I feared the answer.

"She is a strong one, but I cannot answer that. There is nothing else I can do for you." I was preparing to leave, but she left me a final message to tell Jack, "Destiny will reunite us all in the end." And that was the last time I ever saw her.

Jack had questions of course, but I shrugged them off. "Nothing but cryptic messages I explained, but she warned that not all of us will survive." That occupied Jack for the rest of our journey, we soon settled on one of the many tiny islands in the Caribbean. We lived in peace for three years raising Sarah, she was a curious and intelligent child. Jack taught her how to swim, but she loved the sea long before that. One night though, I noticed a change in Jack's demeanor. "Jack, what's wrong," I inquired.

"We've been lucky, but sooner or later he'll catch up to us. We need a ship."

"What are you talking about?" I feared being away from the sea drove him mad.

"Beckett… we need the _Wench _and her speed," he stood up, looking determined.

"Jack, you're mad, Beckett sunk her long ago. It's not possible to get the _Wench_ back," I reasoned.

"Not unless I get help… from Davy Jones," he replied.

There was a chill down my spine at that name. "No, no, absolutely not," I answered. "He'll have you make a deal with him, not even you can win against him in the end, Jack. Think about Sarah."

"I'm doing this because of her. I will not have my daughter raised in fear of the world, I will handle the consequences later on."

"Jack…" I pleaded.

"I'm more stubborn than you on this, Mei Lin. I'll be back soon," and he kissed me good-bye. "I love you."

"I love you, be safe," I said.

He kissed Sarah good-bye as well, and he rowed away in the little boat we came to the island on. He came back too late, sadly, and Sarah was stolen from us. Tia Dalma was right, not all of us survived in the end, and it would be up to the rest of them to right the wrongs against us.

I watched over Sarah as she grew up in Beckett's household, including her first meeting with Edward. No longer being mortal, I was able to observe whatever I desired. I saw the boy as he grew up before he met my daughter; he had a temper and there was much anger and fear within him. Perhaps it was the result of growing up without his mother, then his father's death, but what I feared the most was that he would be like Davy Jones or even Calypso. The two of them had enough hate and vengeance to fuel the entire world for centuries and I wondered if it ever trickled down to that little boy, even when I knew the kind of man his father was. His grandparents were understanding and caring, but they were only with him for such a short time. I feared for Sarah's safety around him even with her upbringing by Beckett, but I saw the gradual softening of the two of them. Sarah retained Edward's humanity and he strayed away from his grandfather's path; he saved her heart from being destroyed by Beckett's influence. When I saw him rescue my little girl, I knew they would fall in love and perhaps finally the cycle of lies and suffering would end with the two of them. The chain of events that begun so long ago with Davy Jones' betrayal, the binding of Calypso, and the first Brethren Court would end with Sarah and Edward; she, the descendant of two of the Pirate Lords of the first Brethren Court, and he, the descendant of the goddess and her scorned lover. Sarah loved Edward against all odds just as I had loved Jack, even though their bloodlines, their upbringings, their pasts, and so much more should have kept them apart.


End file.
